# Help! Pink bloody milk?



## Jesse’s girls (Apr 15, 2020)

im new to this whole goat milking thing and I’m loving my new girls. however ,my “Annie” who just had kids about 2 1/2 -3 weeks ago started giving pink milk. We had a long day the previous day and so I slept in causing me to milk her about 1 1/2 -2 hrs 
Later than normal. Her udder was huge when I got there so I milked her out but then realized her milk was pinkish. Her udder isn’t hard and it wasn’t hot. Maybe a little warm. Her appetite is totally fine. When I first started milking her I was getting 1/2 gal per milking... now I’m getting 3/4 gal maybe slightly over per milking. So from what I’ve read is that milk production goes down with mastitis? Today I milked her 3 times and on the last milking I noticed the milk looked so much better but had 2 blood specks the size of a pin point...and a little bit of white flecks the same size of pin points... which seem to be less & less over the last couple of days. I’ve been doing a lot of research and most are saying it’s due to her body adjusting to large amounts of milk production and maybe a lack of calcium? With this whole COVID-19 thing our feed stores are very low on supplies so no mastitis tests available at this moment. I was gonna order online but those won’t be getting here till the end of April. I’m trying not to panic. Anyone have any advice for this newbie goat mom ?


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## CaramelKitty (Mar 28, 2020)

Hi! Sorry, this website has very few members if any that can help. There is a fantastic forum called The Goat Spot with many wonderful members that can help you. I suggest you go there. Here's a link. 
https://www.thegoatspot.net/


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## Dorothy (Apr 20, 2018)

Your goat needs CALCIUM! Give her 10cc injectable CMPK.... you can get 400 or so ml for a cheap price from vet. Give this once per day till milk is back to normal.
Also, give calcium supplements regularly.


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## skeeter (Aug 11, 2010)

Bull crap, goatspot is getting pretty stupid and the doe just needs some vit c and time. The tiny capillaries burst when a doe becomes engorged. This is the most common cause of pink milk. 
If you do go to goatspot be aware that it's been taken over by Boer breeders and their advice pretty much sucks for dairy goats.


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## skeeter (Aug 11, 2010)

Dorothy said:


> Your goat needs CALCIUM! Give her 10cc injectable CMPK.... you can get 400 or so ml for a cheap price from vet. Give this once per day till milk is back to normal.
> Also, give calcium supplements regularly.


WRONG


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## Angelia Gregg (Sep 8, 2019)

Hi, I have been raising dairy goats for about 20 years and have had many on the top ten list for milk production. If your goat is engorged, yes it can lead to broken capillaries and cause some blood in the milk. Can also be caused by banging the udder on objects, or fighting with other goats, or improper milking, we don't pull we squeeze.
If they are a first freshener vitamin c can help with the engorged udder, so can peppermint extract , a small amount, mixed with lotion for a udder rub, helps them let down.
Hypocalcemia, what Skeeter said. Is caused by a rapid drop in calcium from the blood caused by heavy producers, or first fresheners, who put all their calcium in the milk. Calcium is necessary for muscle contraction, all muscles including the heart, lungs , and the ability to swallow.
If your goat had that she would be dead. ( some novices call it milk fever.)
I do recommend a calcium supplement, if your doe is a heavy milker, or first freshener, starting a few days before they kid until the production has peaked and leveled out at about a month post kidding. Pink milk is not a symptom that I have ever heard of with hypocalcemia, but I could be wrong.
Signs of hypocalcemia in goats does not always include a drop in milk production, symptoms are; lethargy, not eating, not drinking, difficulty breathing, inability to stand, muscle weakness, muscle tremors, inability to swallow, death. It happens very rapidly.
In an emergency, calcium gluconate could be administered sub Q, but it would take about 60-120 cc's administered in multiple areas to do any good.
What I do as a preventative, I start giving about 1/2 cup of grain a few days before they kid, I start feeding grass hay once a day about 1 week before they kid. Once they kid I give them between 500-2000 mg of oral calcium tabs, like we buy for ourselves from the drug store. Mine love the chewy calcium gummies. Once the milk production peaks and then levels off, I drop them down on the calcium chewies, but let them have full grain and alfalfa rations. I let mine eat as much grain as they want. They are also offered kelp, loose minerals and baking soda at each milking.
My 6 year old Saanen Electra is producing 22 pounds of milk daily, and is holding her weight.
You seem to have ruled out mastitis. I think she bumped her udder. Sorry it took so long to respond. It is kidding season.
Hope it helps.
Good luck.


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