Chronic Mastitis

RD10

Hi all, have a cow with mastitis for weeks and weeks now. She's had several rounds of antibiotics, tubes etc.
Shes being milked out twice daily and yet still every day she has thick yellow curdled stuff coming out before it turning watery. Some days more than others.
I'd say im near 2 months drawing her out.
Ive been onto the vet several times since and am told il have to keep at it and keep drawing it til it clears.
Anyone have experience of this and does anyone actually know when would be safe to leave her be? Had begun to do it every 2nd or 3rd day but it seemed to just build back up again. Im beginning to think it'll never fully clear.

Mooooo

Is she sick with it? Having been treated that long it won't cure, if she isn't physically sick I would leave her soak up and cull. Withdrawal period will be a while anyway so anti inflammatory will help if you haven't given it already.

K.G.

and ask your vet is there any surgical procedure they would suggest

whelan2

If you keep drawing it ,it's going to continue producing as KG says ask vet about possibly cutting off the teat. Vet will do this for you.

RD10

Cheers. Shes Not sick with it, shes eating fine. The teat itself isnt hard but the bag above and around the teat is hard.
It'll draw out thick stuff for the first few squirts then thin out and go watery.
Couldnt keep going on like this for the whole lactation.

ABitofsense

One of my cows that was bad with it was the same badly curdled rank stuff & water. The vet that came out gave her the 1st dose of antibiotics & stuff didn't really do much if anything at all. I got talking to the main vet then as she wasn't improving & he said she's probably ecoli infection if there's water and bad temperature. Treated her with Cobactin & fixed her in couple of days. Different cow.

RD10

ABitofsense wrote: »

One of my cows that was bad with it was the same badly curdled rank stuff & water. The vet that came out gave her the 1st dose of antibiotics & stuff didn't really do much if anything at all. I got talking to the main vet then as she wasn't improving & he said she's probably ecoli infection if there's water and bad temperature. Treated her with Cobactin & fixed her in couple of days. Different cow.

Do u mind me asking had you to keep drawing out the teat after that?
Did she clear up or was the teat ever any good after? Did the teat go milky/watery/dry up?
I know every cow will be different but this lady had 4 or 5 diff antibiotics, shes had anti inflammatories, shes had tubes - main vet eventually out and said tubes were of no benefit to her anymore few weeks back. Still drawing her and still c**p coming out of her
Edit to say, i know this teat will def be a dud but i just want to get her to the stage where infection clears up and it can be left, that it dosnt re-occur before i shift her out of here as soon as possible

ABitofsense

RD10 wrote: »

Do u mind me asking had you to keep drawing out the teat after that?
Did she clear up or was the teat ever any good after? Did the teat go milky/watery/dry up?
I know every cow will be different but this lady had 4 or 5 diff antibiotics, shes had anti inflammatories, shes had tubes - main vet eventually out and said tubes were of no benefit to her anymore few weeks back. Still drawing her and still c**p coming out of her
Edit to say, i know this teat will def be a dud but i just want to get her to the stage where infection clears up and it can be left, that it dosnt re-occur before i shift her out of here as soon as possible

No didn't keep drawing it once the Cobactin was finished. At that point it was more milker and begining to dry up. The calf was sucking it a bit too but luckily stopped. The teat is gone now, vet said it at the start anyway. She's on my cull list as another quarter came empty this year for some reason.

Sami23

RD10 wrote: »

Hi all, have a cow with mastitis for weeks and weeks now. She's had several rounds of antibiotics, tubes etc.
Shes being milked out twice daily and yet still every day she has thick yellow curdled stuff coming out before it turning watery. Some days more than others.
I'd say im near 2 months drawing her out.
Ive been onto the vet several times since and am told il have to keep at it and keep drawing it til it clears.
Anyone have experience of this and does anyone actually know when would be safe to leave her be? Had begun to do it every 2nd or 3rd day but it seemed to just build back up again. Im beginning to think it'll never fully clear.

Just leave her be at this stage once she's not sick and she's eating normally.
Would you not hold onto her with the 2 tits working.
I'd have a few here with only 2 tits and they work away grand

whelan2

Sami23 wrote: »

Just leave her be at this stage once she's not sick and she's eating normally.
Would you not hold onto her with the 2 tits working.
I'd have a few here with only 2 tits and they work away grand

If she lost another teat she would only have 1

Sami23

whelan2 wrote: »

If she lost another teat she would only have 1

Agree - definitely cull if a cow went down to 1 teat

RD10

She had that one bad teat and it had spread to another teat about 2 - 3 weeks ago but caught that early, its not great but no curdled milk in it now.
Also calf got sick from drinking the infected udder so wasnt in best of form. Was hoping it wouldnt spread to the remaining two teats.
I suppose that was the main fear.

SuperTortoise

Had a cow last summer the same way, was tubing and injecting her for a week, she never was sick with it but no matter how manytimes she was drained and tubed there would always be curds the next time, after about a month i left her be, she lost 3 tits despite me doing my best with her, she reared her calf on one tit and a fine job she made of him too, the calf no doubt pulled an odd drop from the other cows, culled the cow last back end.

RD10

Cows bag has finally burst out and puss beginning to drain.
Would i be right to leave it to drain itself and just spray it from the flies?

Sami23

RD10 wrote: »

Cows bag has finally burst out and puss beginning to drain.
Would i be right to leave it to drain itself and just spray it from the flies?

Yes that's all you can do

Injuryprone

I sometimes hear of people getting the vet to cut off the teat in such situations. Can't say I've done it myself and it doesn't sound the most pleasant of jobs, but I suppose if it lets the poison out it's a good thing

tanko

It’s not as bad as it sounds, when there’s no hope of saving the quarter it’s all that can be done to let all the crap out.

Jb1989

tanko wrote: »

It’s not as bad as it sounds, when there’s no hope of saving the quarter it’s all that can be done to let all the crap out.

Have seen the quarter burst at the side of the elder, with little if any discomfort before or after it burst.

RD10

Cheers all.

Sacrolyte

Birdeeeeeezo

einn32

Injuryprone wrote: »

I sometimes hear of people getting the vet to cut off the teat in such situations. Can't say I've done it myself and it doesn't sound the most pleasant of jobs, but I suppose if it lets the poison out it's a good thing

I always did it. Quarter is gone but teat removal ensures all infection is cleared out.