Not enough milk!

[Nanno]

I found Petunia's babies frantically sucking away this morning but getting no milk. They seemed very frustrated. They'd gotten some (I saw foam on their lips), but not enough to satisfy them. I ended up putting Snickers on Lilly and he drained all the milk Finn and I had left in that big side of her udder. Sputnik was hungry, but not hungry enough to try nursing off a strange dam. Both kids seem energetic, so I don't believe they're starving or anything, but I'm going to keep a very close watch of course.

As for Petunia's udder: there's a lot of substance and not much milk. I don't know if she's congested or if she just has a meaty udder. The right side is firm but supple and the the left side I'm concerned about. The kids wouldn't nurse off that side at first. Two days ago I taped up the right side for a few hours and forced them to drink from the left. That evened it up and the left side has looked and felt more normal since then (it felt congested before, which was probably why they were avoiding it). Now that it's totally empty and I can feel the udder properly, the left side still feels lumpy and hard in spots. I haven't noticed any heat or pain, but could this be mastitis?

Oh, and Petunia has a very good appetite and has no temperature. Her udder is not hot or sore to the touch. She was kicky at first because she wasn't used to me handling it, but once I started massaging it she calmed down and seemed to enjoy having it rubbed. Is it possible we're just dealing with a lot of congestion? How do I get her production up for these kiddos?

[Taffy]

Do you have a mastitis test kit on hand? If not, does your dairy friend? Her udder was so huge before she had the kids you could be dealing with a low grade mastitis that is not manifesting itself in an elevated temperature or hot/sore udder. I would continue to massage the udder. It's good in case of congestion, will help you monitor the heat and texture of the udder and if Petunia enjoys it all the better.

I'm glad you were able to put Snickers on Lilly. She should increase milk production as her body realizes her kid(s) need more milk. That should also leave more for Sputnik.

[Nanno]

I don't have a mastitis kit, but I just talked to a friend who does. I'm going over there to borrow it this afternoon.

I've been watching Petunia closely for problems like this because I've been concerned that her udder was so big for two straight days before she kidded. I hated the thought of all that milk just sitting in there, but I couldn't very well milk out the first colostrum either. Sort of a Catch-22.

I'll see what the mastitis test says and go from there. I'll also make sure to keep massaging her udder. I'm guessing it's probably good that her kids are keeping it drained most of the time. I'm thankful I've got super-milker Lilly around for back-up! Her udder ain't the prettiest in the world but it sure makes a powerful lot of milk!

[Nanno]

Did the mastitis test and I've got purple milk on the right side and a sort of snotty-looking blob from the milk on the left. I talked to the lady I got the test from and she recommends Naxal. Unfortunately I won't be able to get any until Monday, so in the meantime she said to do hot compresses, massage with bag balm, and keep that side stripped as much as possible. I'll have to tape it because the babies might spread the infection to the right side, which is too bad because they do an excellent job of keeping it stripped.

Anything else I can do? I'm hoping it's just a mild case and won't cause any permanent damage.

[Taffy]

I'm glad you were able to do the mastitis test. That will give you a baseline. I have never used Naxcel. If you are buying it from your goat vet I would ask him/her their advice and show him/her the test results from that day. Mastitis can ruin a doe's udder and it's nothing to treat lightly.

When miking Petunia (or any doe) here is what I do and recommend. ALWAYS wear latex gloves to protect the doe from your bacteria. Strip some milk into a strip cup before you actually begin milking so you can see the color, texture,etc. of the milk to determine if it looks right. Next apply a pre-milking teat dip to each teat and wipe it the teats clean. I use BAC-STOP Teat Dip. It is a commercial dairy product. Milk the doe. When done milking apply an after-milking teat dip to help close the teat orifice and keep bacteria from entering the orifice. I use TRANSCEND teat dip which is also a commercial dairy product. I have never had mastitis in any of my does using this protocol. The woman I bought my Alpine does from owns a raw milk dairy. She said she has never had an incidence of mastitis and if I follow this protocol my does should never develop mastitis. Both Bac-Stop and transcend can be found online. I buy it from a local dairy supply company.

[Nanno]

The funny thing is that Petunia is the one goat I haven't milked. I was just going to let her kids do the job for at least the next week or two until all the colostrum is out of her system. But since she doesn't appear to be a high producer anyway, I'm guessing I won't be milking her at all except right now to keep this one side of her udder stripped. I use Wipe Out disinfectant teat wipes on my hands and the udders before milking, and I spray the teats afterwards with Fight-Bac.

I did the hot compresses and Bag Balm massage this evening before Saddle Club, and the hardness was already a lot less when I got home several hours later and did it again. She seems to really enjoy both of those things, but she protests when I milk her out.

I'm concerned that after having that side taped up for four hours tonight, I still only got a few ounces of milk when I got home. I sure hope the other side is producing more than this! It's hard to tell because the kids keep it empty. They seemed hungry again tonight, but not nearly as much as they were this morning. Neither of them wanted anything to do with Lilly's udder or a bottle, so I guess they must be getting something from their mother. They were quite chipper and bounced all over the patio while I messed with Petunia, so they can't be too badly off.

Well, I'm off to massage and strip again.

[Taffy]

How is Petunia doing?

[Nanno]

Petunia is doing much better today! I was able to rearrange my schedule yesterday morning so I was able to get to Pueblo in time to get some Naxcel and talk to my vet. After taping her teats twice on Friday I ended up not doing that any more. Pulling the tape off was painful and Petunia was really good for everything until the third time I tried to apply tape and she tried to kick my head off. I couldn't blame her. I also decided that the risk of her kids contaminating the right side was smaller than the risk of having the infected milk stay in the udder for possibly hours at a time until I could strip it. Besides, those babies were hungry and they needed all the milk they could get from both sides. The kids do a great job keeping the teat stripped so I made an executive decision to let them do it. I was relieved yesterday when I told my vet this and he agreed with me. He said the risk of them infecting the other side is actually pretty low, especially since they're keeping everything drained really well.

I noticed improvement in the hard spots after the initial massage and hot compress on Friday, but it stubbornly refused to improve any further on Saturday and I was getting discouraged again last night. But this morning the udder was noticeably softer. I also did another mastitis test this morning and the milk came back almost normal! I was so excited I nearly danced. I hardly dare to hope that the production is coming back up, but I think it might be. It's hard to tell with the kids keeping it drained (the down-side to not taping--I can't monitor production).

Snickers and Spunik are doing well. They seem like they're not fully satisfied after they nurse, but they're not starving and frustrated any more like they were on Friday. It makes me slightly worried not to see them stuffed to the gills, but the three babies prior to these were singles drinking their fill of massive gallon-capacity udders. I'm used to seeing babies who stagger away from the udder looking slightly dazed and on the verge of a food coma (like me after I eat at Texas Roadhouse).

[Taffy]

I'm so glad Petunia is ding better and that you were able to see your vet and get the Naxcel. I'm sure her production will increase as her udder health improves and the kids needs grow. My doe nursed triplets this year and somehow she kept up with their needs and had extra!

That is awesome the mastitis test showed almost normal!

Congratulations - all of your hard work is paying off!

[nebs]

Good to hear the progress.