Goat advice needed

[ametauss]

One of our does gave birth to twins last week and I started to notice that one side of her udder was getting much bigger. Upon inspection I noticed that it was rock hard....

I promptly milked her on that side which is not easy since her nipple is deformed... It looks like a very large nipple coming down and then splits off into two ends with one end being longer than the other...

I was having a hard time getting milk from the shorter of the two off shoots so I just squeezed the lower part of the udder... I know it was probably painful but being that full was probably worse....

Has anyone else encountered this split nipple deformity??

Will the babys be okay only getting milk from one side?? I did feed them from a baby droper some of the milk I expressed.... They would NOT take any sort of bottle and I tried several...

 

[OrpingtonManor]

I don't have goats, but used to work with dairy cows. The hard udder sounds similar to mastitis. Was the teat normal before? Is this her first kidding?

Hopefully someone who has goats will respond, but if it were me, I would be seeking a vet's help. Anyone else have better advice?

 

[bheila]

You can buy mastitis strips at the feed store then test her. Can you post a picture, then maybe some of the other more goat experienced people can have a look.

 

[SheriM]

From your description, this sounds like what is called a "fish teat" because it looks like the tail of a fish. You did the right thing by milking her because with this kind of teat, it can be very hard for the kids to nurse from that side. The good news is that if the kids wouldn't take a bottle from you, it probably means they're getting enough milk from the other side. The bad news is, this will most likely happen each time the doe is bred. I would also check the teats of the kids -- regardless of their gender -- because this kind of fault can be passed on.

You said the udder was hard on that side. Is it hot too? If so, you could have full blown mastitis going on. If not, it might just be congested. Can you get a mastitis test kit from the vet? If there is no mastitis in that side yet, I would milk out just enough to relieve the pressure and try to get that side to dry up. If mastitis has set in, you'll have to treat it and milk her out completely several times a day to remove the infection.

 

[Chatychick]

Yep sounds like a fish teat to me...its a fault in genitics...If the kids wont nurse it and no mastitis in it I would let it dry up as that is what will happen if it isnt getting nursed on. If you want the kids to nurse it try some teat tape on the side they like and they will nurse the other. I have a doe that has a small spur on her teat and the baby will nurse it.
Just keep a eye on it so it dont get hot and uncomfortable. and spray it with fight back after you m ilk it also to keep mastitis away.

 

[ametauss]

When you say HOT what does that mean?? When I feel her udder and another does udder that has kids nursing, they feel warm....

Fish tail is exactly what I would call the tit. Jasmine's udder is a little warmer and harder than the other doe that's nursing kids.... guess I need to test....

Does anyone know if TSC sells the test strips?? Do I just squirt out some milk onto a test strip??

Also, is the milk expressed from Mastitis okay for the babies to drink?? I used a baby dropper to give them some of the expressed milk to make sure they had enough....

Thanks.

 

[PattiXmas]

Not sure if this would help, but this is pretty interesting.

http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/mastitis.html

 

[Hens_And_Chicks]

The mastitis milk is ok for the kids but not human consumption. I'm not sure if it's treated - been so long since I milked a cow with treated milk I can't remember - I'm thinking we dumped it - it might be different though - today's meds probably are more improved than 25 years ago.

 

[Chatychick]

Kids will nurse it out better than you can milk it out and it will usually clear up pretty fast. It sounds like aot of edema in that side since they arent nursing it. I would tape it with teat tape and get the babies to nurse that side out before treating it. Those mastitis strips arent really realible as you dont know how long their shelf life is. When you milk that side is it clumpy or stringy??? Thats a good way to tell if there is a problem or not. I have 2 does here that the babies dont want to nurse 1 side and it will get really large but if they dont nurse it it will eventually dry up.

 

[jBlaze]

Teat defects are much more common in Boer goats than in dairy goats. They are genetic, but I am not sure how dominat.