What's Wrong with my Goats Milk?!

[TroyerSis]

We're having some milk issues, and I need some advice. First, my ND goat who is being dried off, is getting clots in her milk. I do not think she has mastitis. She doesn't have any of the other symptoms, but we did buy a mastitis kit, so it'll be in the mail soon. My other problem is with my 2 yo Alpine doe. She's getting blood in her milk, and I don't know why. Any ideas are helpful! Thanks!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Both issues would have me suspicious for mastitis. Inflammation can be present in the mammary glands even without overt clinical signs (hard bag, warm and swollen glands, discolored glands, or any of the signs of mastitis). I would definitely recommend having a vet out to take a look because if it is mastitis, you will need antibiotics to help clear it up.

Mastitis can also be caused by some other systemic diseases as well so it is important to test your herd regularly for those.

Of course things like trauma can cause similar signs as well which is why I always suggests a vet comes out to take a look.

Best of luck.

 

[TroyerSis]

Both issues would have me suspicious for mastitis. Inflammation can be present in the mammary glands even without overt clinical signs (hard bag, warm and swollen glands, discolored glands, or any of the signs of mastitis). I would definitely recommend having a vet out to take a look because if it is mastitis, you will need antibiotics to help clear it up.

Mastitis can also be caused by some other systemic diseases as well so it is important to test your herd regularly for those.

Of course things like trauma can cause similar signs as well which is why I always suggests a vet comes out to take a look.

Best of luck.

Thank you! Both of their udders aren't swollen or warm though. And isn't mastitis caused by not being milked well enough?

 

[TroyerSis]

We figured out what it is! Not mastitis! What a relief! Check out this article

http://u-sayranch.com/2010/01/pink-milk-isnt-mastitis-by-irene-ramsay/

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Mastitis has many causes including systemic disease, poor milking hygiene, environmental contamination, bugs, etc. Does can have what is called sub-clinical mastitis which results in a high count of white blood cells but very few clinical signs. I suspect that may be what is going on with your girls but it is impossible to diagnose through a computer. I still recommend a vet check for your girls.

The article you posted just doesn't quite make sense. I'm not sure why low calcium would result in reddish colored milk, but generally if the skeleton is depleted of calcium as the article mentions, the animal is in very, very bad shape. I suppose a hemolytic anemia may result in reddish milk, but in my experience the more likely explanation is inflammation and/or infection. White chunks in milk is usually fibrin or white blood cell accumulation. A vet can take samples of both the blood and the milk to tell you for sure (this will also tell you if the blood calcium is low).

 

[Zoomie]

I recommend to take a sample of milk from all your goats, and put it in the freezer in individually labeled containers. That way if anything you do does not help you will still have the original bacteria in the milk to help diagnose the problem.

Then, I'd go to Tractor Supply or wherever, and get some "Today" which is a generic antibiotic for mastitis. You can dose it yourself by pushing it up the orifice into the udder. Dose as they say for the amount of days. See if this helps. If it does not, you still have your samples in the freezer so a vet can culture for the organism responsible.

There are all sorts of types of mastitis. They do not all cosily conform to the exact same manifestation. It is not hard to treat but it's important to get clean samples, just in case the antibiotic you choose does not work. Then they can culture your sample and figure out exactly what you are dealing with and give a very tailored treatment, but that's more expensive and time consuming; most of the time, the Today will take care of it.

 

[TroyerSis]

Her milk is still pink a little, but there are no blood clots anymore...

 

[Zoomie]

Still worth checking. Do you make cheese? One thing I've learned: if they have even a really mild case of mastitis, the milk will not form a good curd when you make, say, mozzarella. If you make cheese try it out. If it won't form a proper curd, you may have a very very mild case, but you will still need to treat so it does not get worse.

 

[TroyerSis]

Still worth checking. Do you make cheese? One thing I've learned: if they have even a really mild case of mastitis, the milk will not form a good curd when you make, say, mozzarella. If you make cheese try it out. If it won't form a proper curd, you may have a very very mild case, but you will still need to treat so it does not get worse.

Interesting... I've never made cheese. I pretty sure it's not mastitis though.

 

[Zoomie]

What makes you conclude that clotting milk and pink milk are not mastitis? Would like to know. Keep in mind, they do not always show all the symptoms. Some cases are so mild you need a test kit to tell. Did you test them? Is that why you think that? I'm very curious.