Possible non typical mastitis *update- test results*

Re: Possible non typical mastitis

send some milk into LSU mastitis clinic and have it tested.

 

Re: Possible non typical mastitis

You do know that does have belly button dimples that you can stick you finger in on the inside leg of their udder, normally? I was under the impression on your last thread that these brain type swellings of the milkviens were on both sides? Now that they are not and are on one side I would say she has staph cysts in them. And once again, because I talk to soo many folks, is this the doe that cultured staph? If not than send in a sample from both halves and have it cultured. It nearly always comes back as staph, which is totally treatable. Although once the body encapsulates it into a cyst, walls it off, it is much harder to get the meds into it to treat. I know a very nice lamancha of ours went into a herd when Joni sold out. She got these staph cysts and they were needle aspirated and although the milk sample at milkout was negative, the milk in the cysts were staph. She had an IV drug series done to the doe to get rid of these.

I would culture the udder, keep her empty, boost her immunity, vaccinate with lysigin, include vitamin C, see if time will help this before I did anything invasive. It's about her udder for the long haul not her udder this week. And anything invasive would be much better for a dry doe, so using systemic drugs, infusions and then when you dry her at the end of her lactation, put in your course of action, this also gives you months to find out what you want to do. Then see how it worked when she freshens next year. Vicki

 

Re: Possible non typical mastitis

Virgin does catch this from raw milk, from being nursed by other kids when young, and by being milked when not in milk...anything that opens the orifice can let staph in.

Part of the whole immune response issue, from being born into a herd that they recieve high quality colostrum from older does, to not being nutritionally stressed (no vitamin or mineral defficiency) keeps does from having issues with worms, cocci, mastitis, foot rot, lice, mites, ringworm...the list is huge. When a doe is stressed, even nutritionally, then things that in a normal doe would have been fluffed off become medical issues. And everyone of us, and goats also, deals with the same bacteria in them differently. Bet if you tested your whole herd you would find staph offenders in your own herd who are perfectly healthy....why then would she form cysts or others have lopsided udders? Immune health.

I meant the udder hidden by the leg Vicki

 

Re: Possible non typical mastitis

:biggrin :blush WELL....I'll be darned!!! I just learned something new! Hmpfh..imagine that. I have an obie doeling that's building an udder to freshen in April. Beautiful udder 'cept for these "folds" on the udder, beneath the leg...both sides! I found them because I felt her udder to see where the attachments were going to be...ARRRGGGHHH...what the "&**&^%^" is this?? There was ~now I know~ "navel lint" built up. Peeled it off and there's a indention there! Belly buttons?? Hmmmm. I'll quit worrying now...and you can have a good laugh on me, Vicki! :rofl
Kaye

 

Re: Possible non typical mastitis

:rofl :rofl
Now I would have discribed it as stretch marks like I have all over my belly from having kids. :crazy

 

Re: Possible non typical mastitis

Only really good milkers with EXCELLENT udders have these!!!! LOL Vicki

 

Re: Possible non typical mastitis

Some just take longer to come into their own...but I know what you mean.

 

Re: Possible non typical mastitis *update*

Find out what the something else is. Vicki

 

Judith, dont meant to hijack the thread, and I'm sorry I dont have any words of wisdom on great treatments for this. But could you share how/where you sent a sample to get tested, and what to expect for cost and reply time, etc? I couldnt find anything in 101 when I looked and I'd like to test the doe that freshened with mastitis this year. She doesnt seem to have any more symptoms but I'd like to see if it cleared up or just went subclinical.
BTW, i think a thread split off on the what where when how why and whos of mastitis testing would be a great addition to 101. heres one already there that helps explain it all, I couldnt find it.

 

http://dairygoatinfo.com/index.php/topic,85.0.html

 

Thanks, Sondra! I'll copy down the number and try to call them tomorrow. If I get the info from them on how to sample, what to send it in, shipping info, cost etc, can I send that to you and we can add it to the thread in 101?

 

yes that will be good Laura

 

Judith, when they gave you the results, did they send back culture results? that should say what antibiotic is goig to be more likely effective.

When they culture bacteria to determine what drugs its sensitive too, they incubate the actual organism, usually on plates, to get colonies of it growing. They put a neat disc similar ot blotter paper on top of the culture medium, that has holes in it. The area around each hole is impregnated with a particular antibiotic, so one disc might have about 8 holes and they can see on one plate what will work.

The holes that grow great colonies- in spite of the antibiotic they are surrounded by- are resistant to that particular drug. When the drug stops or prevents a colony from growing around the hole it is considered an effective drug to use- or they say the strain is sensitive to it. they usually report that as a list of common antibiotics with a "S" for sensitive, or "R" for resistant, or an "I" for Indeterminate which means it stunted growth but there still was some.

Usually takes about 48 to 72 hrs to get useful resuts from the time they start incubating. Human labs usually report the sensitivity results every 24 hrs for 2 days and then a final at 3 days. (Viral culturing is a lot different, but this is the usual way its done for aerobic (oxygen using) bacteria). I'd guess with the mastitis clinic if they do the C&S it would probably just be a final result.

Its really a pretty simple procedure, used ot be one of the basic skills they teach in college micro classes. Having an incubator is the only really hard part of it, and I'm not sure what the temp is that they use, its been awhile since I did this in micro class- like decades! LOL The only other equipment you really need is the plates and a loop which would be available anywhere they sell microscope stuff. It think it would be neat to learn how to do at home, not much more difficult than doing fecals. Keeping everything sterile to avoid contamination is the trick. But if it can be done in a chicken egg incubator, it would be a cool project to play with! A filter disc could be cut out and impregnated with the antibiotics. Probably good for the simple stuff like minor skin infections you wouldnt bother sending off to a lab, anyway, though I wouldnt trust a home set up for the important stuff like mastitis, it might still be a neat skill to have to save time and wasted money using the wrong drugs on those things you treat without going to a vet.


Well, I got curious enoughto cal and talk with the microbiology person at work. She raises cattle so knew exactly what I was talking about, and said she never thought of doing it at home, but was now probably going to! LOL She said you incubate at the normal body temp of the animal. I'd bet a cheap but sterilizable egg incubator could do double duty, and she agrees, with goat temps being about the same. She also said that our hospital does sell media (the culture plates) at cost, and do incubation as a community service, so that might be an option for some if their local hospital labs do it too. This might be a neat project.