# Need Help!! Black Mastitis?!



## LamanchaLover (Jan 11, 2010)

Hi everyone, I have a friend in need!! She has a young Nubian doe, it was her first time kidding, and she kidded about two weeks ago with twins.
From what she has told me: "We have to get meds for her so it doesn't spread to the rest of her body and if it does spread then it will be to late and right now it's to late to save her udder"
She has now gotten meds from her vet, and it's been 8 days since the whole mastitis thing started. Can mastitis really spread and kill a goat??
The udder is not cold, and not hot, just a normal temperature, but most of the udder is a black-ish color, and she said it's starting to fall off.

Any info or help is appreciated!!
Thanks!


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

Kallie have her register on here and send me an e-mail, I'll get her approved asap.
Tam


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

So sorry about this. It is a bad thing to have! 
I would think if the udder is already falling off, and the goat is still alive, then it was likely contained in the udder. Invite your friend to join the forum. It is much easier to help that way. Good luck to her either way!


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

Doesn't make since that it's not cold, unless the ambient temperature is warm I suppose it may not seem cold. If it's been 8 days the goat should be doing better by now. If it's survived without antibiotics it must not have gone systemic. Perhaps her problem now is a secondary infection? It will fall off and where it's falling off needs to have some kind of antibiotic applied to prevent secondary infection, just treat as a wound- a nasty wound. Is she still running a temp? 

And you bet it can kill a goat. Almost killed my Abigail this spring. Same deal, FF with twins. Didn't know what it was until she started milking blood, and was confirmed when the teat started turning blue and getting cold. Had another doe get it after she did and she got into grain (including chicken pellets) just as she got her appetite back and died of apparent impaction.  She started to improve much more quickly than the other as I hit it hard just as soon as she was off.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Yes, you can look up malignant edema, gangrenous mastitis, it starts with a blue spot on the udder, usually down by a teat. This spot turns cold, it's a short window of the doe having good enough immunity to wall off this infection in her udder or it will spread systemically through her body and she will die. Once she has walled it off in the udder, there is the line of demarcation on her udder, a literal line of where below the blue spot is cold dead tissue, and above is healthy tissue. The bottom half will begin to slough, leaving this gruesome leather looking sack that one day simply falls to the ground. As long as she doesn't get a secondary infection in the healthy half from this big raw place needing to heal, she will be fine.

I vaccinate with Lysigin, because you have to have Staph Auerous Mastitis to have it turn into malignant edema. You can't have one without the other, so by vaccinating for it, the doe gives herself a better chance of fighting off Staph A before this continues. Once you have been diagnosed with this in your herd, you also want to move your vaccinations from just CD&T to one of the 8 ways.

I am glad she has a vet to help her with this. Vicki


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## LamanchaLover (Jan 11, 2010)

Ok thanks!! She has logged on, had a little confusion with it, but she's on. 
It sounds like the doe has made it through the first stages since the udder has just started falling off. But to prevent secondary infection she should vaccinate with Lysigin?? Is there anything else she could do, like apply a heating pad, or massage it?

Thanks!


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

No she needs a good antibiotic to make sure secondary infection doesn't set in. There is nothing to do but let the udder slough and the tissue heal. She needs to vaccinate her herd with Lysigin and Covexin 8 etc... Vicki


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## MadisonMilkers (Jun 7, 2011)

Hi, I am the owner of the goat. She kidded for the fist time 8 days ago. Right off the bat, the right side of her udder wouldn't milk right. Within a couple of days I started her on "Today". then, we noticed a few purple spots on the right side. Now, the right side is completely purple and her left teat is starting to turn purple also. I talked to the vet this morning and she said that by the time it reaches the purple stage it is too late for her udder and most likely too late to save her life. The vet said if I wanted to try to put her on a different antibiotic(la200) The vet said within 2-3 days her udder would begin to slough off. She also said that she could have been infected with this as a kid (when another kid tried to nurse on her) that the bacteria laid in there and began to grow when her body started the milking process. I can't believe how quickly this has happened. I am also giving her vitamins and pro biotics to support her immune system. Has anyone else experienced this and what was the outcome. The vet offered to put her to sleep so it makes us wonder if it is worth the fight (& watch her suffer) Thank you for all your info!


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Welcome to the forum Monica. Please promise from now on you won't move to infusions until you get a culture back to tell you a doe actually has mastitis and what kind so you can have the milk answer your questions, and not guessing.

So your vet hasn't actually seen this doe?

What is her temp?

Is her udder cold?

If your new, do you know how to milk? Is she simply congested and the purple spots are normal change in color of a pale udder to a dark one? Does she have a blind teat and that is why milk won't come out. Is she tested negative for CAE by you? Vicki


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