I have been flying around the country literally this week and a friend has taken care of my critters for three and a half days this past week. She finished up with them yesterday morning. The problem is this evening when I went to milk my doe, who is pregnant and NOT in heavy lactation, had a clot of blood in the first squirt from only one teat. Milk from the other was perfectly normal. After milking a bit, she had another smaller clot. The entire pail was pink. This morning the milk was fine, as it was last night. There is no clotting in the milk at all,other than the two clots of blood, she hasn't got a fever, she seems just as happy as can be, no warmth to the udder, no visible nor tactile injury. I gave her some probios and some vinegar in her water. Any ideas? She is about 2 months along in the pregnancy. Thanks!

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@excite.com), February 18, 2001

Answers

One of my first goats had blood in her udder once. I don't remember clots, but she gave pink milk. I had the vet out, who gave her some antibiotic directly into her udder and a shot of something else, left me with a couple of shots to give her the next days. In retrospect, I felt that it was not mastitis, but a bump injury, and wondered if the antibiotics had been necessary. Don't know. mary

-- mary, texas (marylgarcia@aol.com), February 18, 2001.

Doreen it's always best to check for mastitis in a case like this but most likely it is just a bruised udder or improper milking by the friend.

-- JT Sessions (gone2seed@hotmail.com), February 18, 2001.

Hi Doreen, you could run a CMT, but I would bet she got stepped on or bumped. Can't really imagine how any human could possibly milk harder or more aggressively than a baby goat can butt and nurse the udder! If she was just first fresh you could blame it on burst capilaries from a fast enlarging udder, especially in the breed that you have. But also because of the breed that you have, Alpine :) you certainly can see where she could have gotten into a scurmish with someone! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), February 19, 2001.

Thanks everyone. It was all clear this am. No heat in the udder, no discomfort expressed. I am going to just watch it for a few more days and maybe give her some more pro bios...I really don't think it's mastitis. They are kinda crazy and rambunctious goats, so it was probably a bump injury. Thanks again!

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@excite.com), February 19, 2001.