Mastitis is inflammation of the udder often caused by poor hygiene or skin trauma suffered by the goat. It can result from an infection of viral, fungal or bacterial origin, although the latter seems to be the most frequent. If you suspect that your goat is suffering from such ailment, get it checked by a vet as soon as possible and take precautions so that this problem does not occur again in the future by maintaining proper hygiene on the farm.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Treating Mastitis
Step 1. Isolate the sick goat
If one or more of the birds suffer from this inflammation, you must move them away from the rest of the flock. Some farmers even go as far as culling the sick animal to reduce the likelihood of an epidemic developing. Keeping the sick goat together with the others can compromise the health of the whole flock and increase the risk of accidentally drawing the milk of the infected one.
Step 2. Drain her nipples
This is the first operation to be performed in case of mastitis and involves a series of procedures that aim to temporarily stop milk production, in order to treat the infection and allow the breast tissue to rest and regenerate.
- Ideally, you should start the process about two weeks before the date you want milk production to stop, but since mastitis is likely to come unexpectedly, you can start as soon as possible.
- Gradually reduce the most energetic substances from the goat's diet and replace them with products rich in fiber; the animal's body recognizes that it is getting fewer nutrients and milk production begins to slow down.
- Limit your grain intake and replace alfalfa with hay. If it is a very productive goat, it may be necessary to feed it an even more low-calorie diet, such as straw and water, although hay is usually sufficient.
- However, don't limit the amount of food or water to her. When livestock have less access to food and water, they tend to seek them from other sources and may end up eating toxic plants or even fighting for what is needed.
Step 3. Use effective nipple disinfectant liquid
This part of the breasts should be cleaned with an antiseptic product to kill any external pathogens living on the skin. The product that is considered the safest, as well as being among the most common, is based on iodine or chlorhexidine.
- If you opt for chlorhexidine, choose the one in 2% concentration.
- Apply the antiseptic solution twice at 24-hour intervals for maximum results.
- Place the end of the nipple in the casing of a 12 or 20cc plastic syringe. Once disinfected, submerge the nipple inside the wrap.
Step 4. Identify the pathogens responsible for mastitis
Your veterinarian is likely to perform milk and / or blood tests to identify the specific microorganism that caused the infection. Based on the results obtained, it is possible to define the drug to be prescribed (if necessary) and to know the approximate healing times of the goat.
- Coagulase-negative staphylococcus is a major cause of mastitis.
- It is quite rare for staph infections to develop, but when they do occur they tend to be persistent and do not respond well to treatments.
- Agalactiae strep infections are very rare and generally do not appear to carry the risk of mastitis in goats.
- Infections due to mycoplasma bacteria can cause serious problems in these animals, which can manifest worrying diseases, such as septicemia, polyarthritis, pneumonia or encephalitis.
Step 5. Administer medication to the affected specimen
Based on the results of the milk analysis, the vet may recommend drug therapy to treat mastitis. Antibiotics are the most frequently prescribed, but you must stop administering once the infection has been eradicated and, before resuming regular milking, you must perform a second milk test to make sure it does not contain any residual active ingredient.
- Antibiotics such as benzylpenicillin, cloxacillin, amoxicillin, cephalosporins, cefoperazone, erythromycin, tilmicosin, kanamycin, penicillin, ampicillin, or tetracycline are all suitable for treating mastitis.
- A common way to give the drug to animals is to mix it in food.
- Use a balling gun to deliver the drug down the animal's throat.
- Glucocorticoids, such as dexamethasone, can be given to the animal to reduce swelling.
- It is also possible to use an intramammary antibiotic ointment to apply to the nipples, but you must be careful that it does not cause irritation to the skin.
Part 2 of 3: Diagnosing the Infection
Step 1. Note the clinical signs of mastitis
Usually, it can develop in a systemic or chronic form. The systemic one grows very rapidly and presents symptoms such as high fever (over 40 ° C) and tachycardia; the chronic form generally manifests itself as a persistent and often incurable infection.
- Acute mastitis is characterized by hard, swollen and red mammary glands, as well as watery, yellowish-looking milk secretion (due to the presence of white blood cells).
- The chronic form typically presents with hard lumps on the breasts and may be accompanied by the inability to produce milk.
Step 2. Submit your pet to various tests
Your vet may order some common tests, which include a milk sample for a microbiological culture, a somatic cell count in milk (SCC), the California Mastitis Test (CMT), or the ELISA (immuno-absorbent assay linked to an enzyme).). SCC and CMT are the two most frequently used tests to diagnose cases of mastitis.
Keep in mind that a negative bacterial culture result does not necessarily rule out that mastitis is of bacterial origin; many of these organisms mutate cyclically and may therefore not be evident in a milk sample
Step 3. Gather information about the history of the flock and the behavior of the animal
If one or more specimens have mastitis, it is very likely that the others are also exposed to the infection. Once the sick goat has been identified and isolated, you must carry out regular checks on the udders, milk and body temperature of the others to promptly detect any signs of contagion.
Part 3 of 3: Prevention
Step 1. Improve hygiene practices before milking
By implementing proper hygiene procedures before and during milk collection, you can greatly reduce the rate of spread of the disease. These provide for better disinfection and cleaning of the barn and milking area.
- The barn shouldn't be too crowded; each goat should have adequate space both indoors and in the yard.
- You should keep the path between the milking area and the barn or ground thoroughly clean; make sure it is dry and free it from residues of feces and dirt.
- Carefully rub the breasts and nipples with a cloth and then scrupulously wash them with drinking water; also remember to wash your hands before and after milking.
- Use disinfectant solutions and sprays to sanitize the teats before proceeding and keep all milking equipment clean and sterile.
Step 2. Reduce the duration of the milk drawing
Some initial research has found that there may be a correlation between mastitis outbreaks and the length of time the goat remains attached to the milking unit. While this does not automatically prevent cases of mastitis from developing, it is worth practicing that caution.
Step 3. Locate and isolate or kill the diseased specimen
If any goats suffer from this infection, they should not stick with the rest of the flock. Most sanitation and mastitis prevention regimens recommend isolating the infected specimen or even culling it, to prevent an outbreak of mastitis from occurring.
Advice
Get goats regularly checked for mastitis. the sooner it is diagnosed, the better chance the animals will recover completely
Warnings
- If you notice any signs of infection, contact your vet; it is a fatal disease when it reaches its most acute form and can easily spread to other specimens in the flock.
- Don't drink milk until you know for sure that the infection has been eradicated; Throw away any produced by a sick goat and be sure to thoroughly clean all the equipment you used.
