Leaky teat (through the skin)

[Chickenfever]

I noticed when I was milking my doe that my hand kept getting wet with milk. I realized that she is actually leaking milk through the side of her teat, in possibly more than one place. If I squeeze the teat a drop of milk will ooze through the skin halfway up the teat. As far as I can tell it is only on one teat and it is the teat that her doeling favors. She is a first freshener, she gave birth 5 weeks ago to a single doeling. I haven't come across anything like this in my learning about goats and don't know if I should be concerned.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Sounds like she has more than one orifice or some kind of defect. Interesting....I'll check back to see if anyone else has something to offer here because that is a new one for me.

 

[Goatmasta]

I would say that she had a teat spur at birth that got cut off. I am guessing that you bought her?

 

[Georgiamainers]

That has happened with my first timer too. But it stopped in a day or two. I have no idea.

 

[RoseFell Farms]

She might have milky tissue.

Thread on another forum.

Weeping teats are probably a variation of what is called a web teat in dairy cattle. In goats, these small masses of secretory tissue, which are usually numerous, are commonly located on the teat near its base, but may be located on the udder near the base of the teat. These masses of secretory tissue usually communicate to the outside through small pores in the side of the teat. .....These tissues become obvious in early lactatin because of contamination of the teat skin with the secretions. Occasionally one or two of these small masses of secretory tissue does not have an opening and accumulates milk to form a milk cyst in the wall of the teat (usually near it's base).

Goat medicine. By Mary C. Smith, David M. Sherman.

Some goats have milk secreting tissue in the wall of the teat, especially near its base. If this tissue communicates one or more pores in the skin to the outside, milk will ooze out. The condition is noticed when the hand of the milker becomes wet...

 

[Chickenfever]

She might have milky tissue.

Thread on another forum.

Weeping teats are probably a variation of what is called a web teat in dairy cattle. In goats, these small masses of secretory tissue, which are usually numerous, are commonly located on the teat near its base, but may be located on the udder near the base of the teat. These masses of secretory tissue usually communicate to the outside through small pores in the side of the teat. .....These tissues become obvious in early lactatin because of contamination of the teat skin with the secretions. Occasionally one or two of these small masses of secretory tissue does not have an opening and accumulates milk to form a milk cyst in the wall of the teat (usually near it's base).

Goat medicine. By Mary C. Smith, David M. Sherman.

Some goats have milk secreting tissue in the wall of the teat, especially near its base. If this tissue communicates one or more pores in the skin to the outside, milk will ooze out. The condition is noticed when the hand of the milker becomes wet...

Thank you, that sounds exactly like what is going on. She was born here on our little farm, so I know nothing was ever done to her teats.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I could just be a weak teat wall and she could "grow" out of it. My doe is in her second lactation and still has one little pore that leaks a teensy bit of milk, but only when her udder is very full. My hand doesn't even get wet anymore. I know for sure no teat spur was ever cut off, it's just a defect. It could potentially cause problems with mastitis (a way for bacteria to enter) but my doe hasn't had any problems.

 

[Chickenfever]

Just wanted to follow up and say that Kalua's teat did stop weeping after about two months. It never did cause her to get an infection.

 

[Queen Mum]

Leaky teats. Who knew?