pregnant doe-im a first timer-i need help!!

[nadams4]

The torn teat is the good teat, not the one with mastitis.

I am treating her for the mastisis with oxytocin, from the vet, and milking her everyday. well, trying to milk her...all i get is a tiny bit (2 tablespoons) of brownish red liquid. (that is out of the mastitis teat!)

There are lumps, the size of a marble, where the nipple meets the bag...what does this mean? I havent had a chance to ask the vet about it, i noticed the lumps about 3 days ago.

Thank you all so much for all of your...i would have a heck of a time without you!

 

[Chatychick]

the lumps that you are talkingabout is what mastitis does to the udder. She needs to be massaged and milked to break up the lumps so they will pass. The red stuff is blood mixed with milk and its probably going to cause scar tissue in that teat...also sounds like she might have the starting of calcium deposits in there also...they feel like hard marbles and are very painful when being milked..

 

[Moonwalker]

You haven't said that you are bottle feeding the baby yet. If the good teat is the one that's torn she can't nurse off that and she certainly can't drink the nasty stuff the other one is producing! Not to mention all the drug you are giving momma! Get her on the bottle ASAP! or you will have one sick little baby!
The good thing is that she at least got to nurse a few times from her mother, so she hopefully got a good dose of colostrum.
I am currently bottle feeding 2 that were born on Feb 02. Their mother died on Feb. 05. They need to be fed every 2-3 hours round the clock for the first week, then they can go to every 4 hours during the day. At 2 weeks, I give them their last feeding around midnite and they will sleep till 6 or 7 am. They are starting to nibble on things, so I keep a little bit of timothy hay and goat pellets available for them to sample during the day.

 

[Chatychick]

Yes you need to be bottle feeding the baby because she will rip open where you try to fix it. Sometimes its hard to get them to take the bottle after momma but when they get hungry they dont take to long getting the idea. Momma needs to heal and get better or you will lose her. Just trying to help in any way I can.

 

[nadams4]

i have been feeding the baby, Cora, since day one. She is a week old today!!!

I started her on colostrum and fed her that for 3 or 4 days then switched to milk replacer.

how often should mommy be milked/massaged???
and how gentle should we be with her udder??

I've heard that when a goat gets mastitis the nipple must be reamed out in order to regain the flow of milk through to the nipple....is there any truth to this???


The baby is doing wonderful, hopping and jumping all over!!! Thanks for all the help!

 

[nadams4]

Some pictures of cora!

 

[nadams4]

Okay...i thought the tit was torn, but the milk is seeping out of the knots(lumps) in the tit!!! They sort of look like blisters!?!?!

I need help!!

 

[crysmom]

well I have no experience with goats..... but I have personally had mastitis dozens and dozens of times myself while nursing my 5 kids... the key to getting over it is getting the infected milk out. Massaging the lumps to break up the puss is needed in order for the milk to flow out the holes, the milk is likely to be red or brownish clear or thick fluid. if the milk isn't removed engorgement will happen and then it fills the tissues and swells and can cause more and more problems. It is very very painful warms cloths alternated with cool compresses helps with the discomfort. Not sure if goats can have pain meds, but I would suggest milking and massaging 3 or 4 times a day and if at all possible pain medication before you do it.

Like I said I know nothing at all about goats, just mastitis

Good luck

 

[ksacres]

Sounds like you may have abscesses. Do you know if she's been tested for CL? Caseous lymphadenitis can also contribute to udder infections (mastitis) and can create those abscesses that can drain from the inside. Get her tested ASAP. There is no cure for CL, those LARGE doses of penicillin can help the abscesses.

You need to milk out that udder as often as possible. Make sure you are washing your hands before and after milking, especially before you handle the baby goat. You cannot milk her "too much" right now. In the old days, milking and warm compresses were the only cure.