All your natural Mastitis treatments *Update pg 4*

[FlightsofFancy]

I have a doe with a precocious udder, that may have mastitis. I am unable to get a good milk sample to do an accurate CMT test. However, what I got tested suspicious.
I think she may be bred (only about 2 weeks along), so would like to try a couple days of natural therapy before diving in with the "Big Guns". What natural therapies have you seen work?

 

[mully]

Tea tree oil ...just rub around the tip of the teat. I use a little peroxide first, dry and apply the oil.

 

[freemotion]

Oh, dear, please keep us all informed of how this goes..... :/

 

[Beekissed]

Here's a few interesting links that may help you:

http://www.u-sayranch.com/goats/ramsay/natural_ways_treating_mastitis.html

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/mastitis.htm

http://fiascofarm.com/herbs/oils.htm#mastitis

 

[FlightsofFancy]

Thank you for the suggestions/links. Last night I washed her udder, like I would if I was milking her, then massaged it with peppermint oil. Her temp is normal and her udder is not hot.
I have never seen an udder like this before. It is so hard and lumpy and about the size of a large cantaloupe with walnut size lumps. BTW: she is an Alpine/Nubian that has never been bred.

 

[Beekissed]

I had heard of the old trick of feeding the milk back to the animal many years ago, so this article was kind of neat.

 

[FlightsofFancy]

I had heard of the old trick of feeding the milk back to the animal many years ago, so this article was kind of neat.

I really liked the article!!! It reminded me of when I had my baby. My midwife told me to use my milk for EVERYTHING! From putting it in my baby's eye, diaper rash, and chapped nips. So it makes total sense to me.

 

[()relics]

I always drench the doe with some of her colostrum the first day that she begins to lactate after kidding...The theory, I guess, is anything present in the milk is introduced back to the lactating does system, which then begins to produce antibodies to fight any "bad" organisms...which then begin to attack the problem...Who knows??
Sometimes I have problems with some of my does starting to lactate before they kid...I think this is the biggest cause of mastitis like symptoms... The doe builds up milk pressure before the kid is born thus putting a strain on the udder...Making it extremely susceptible to bruising...I usually end up stripping any doe that I think may have problems...Once the kid comes the problem is usually over...At least for me this seems to work.
Question...Should a doe that has never kidded even have milk present? Maybe I missed something....Even if she is bred; Some does don't let down milk until they kid or after...I would say not mastitis...JMO...

 

[FlightsofFancy]

Question...Should a doe that has never kidded even have milk present? Maybe I missed something....Even if she is bred; Some does don't let down milk until they kid or after...I would say not mastitis...JMO...

My question too! This doe comes from a very long line of heavy dairy producers, that have a history of precocious udders. I feel like I have failed her by not breeding her sooner. She is 2 and has never been bred. Their is a slight chance my Nigi buck got to her about 2 weeks ago, but her udder is growing everyday with lumpy knots. I was only able to get a small squirt out of each teet, so ran the CMT test and it came out a little bit gelled....like liquid hand soap.
If anyone has other ideas I am open to it. I really am not sure how to handle this doe's udder. It would be so much easier to understand if she had just kidded.

 

[()relics]

leave it alone...When you try to milk her you are actually forcing the orfices open which then could allow bacteria a passage to enter....If she is "on feed" and her temperature is normal; I would leave her to herself....Away from the billy...He may be the cause of the problem...He may have butted her or some how caused her to bruise her udder, making it hard maybe swelled maybe redish looking...Which all appear to be mastitis symptoms.
....If the problem worsens ie: temperature/stops eating/loose stools/anything that isn't "normal" for her...CALL YOUR VET... I would give him/her a call today just so they know you have a possible problem so they will have some backgroung information Just In Case you have to call them later....JMO...
Please if you have any questions about the health and safety of your animals Call Your Vet...I would....I called my goat vet yesterday with a question relating to one of my does that recently kidded...He was happy to give me the information that I needed....