# Doe that's not bred - swollen udder on one side w/ milk-like secretion



## KellyHM (May 24, 2011)

I have a doe of unknown age (probably 5-7) who was rescued a few years back.  She has not been bred or exposed to a buck at all since she was rescued.  In the past 2 weeks one side of her udder has filled with a whitish fluid.  She has been on amoxicillin for the past week, with no change.  Any ideas?  Treatments?


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## elevan (May 24, 2011)

You've had her more than 5 months and there's absolutely no chance that she was bred by accident?  Gotta ask...


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## KellyHM (May 24, 2011)

No buck on the property (this is a client's animal, not my personal goat) or nearby.


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## elevan (May 24, 2011)

Does the fluid smell bad?
Is it tinged with pink?
Does she have a temp?

Why only 1 side...did she have mastitis previously?

May be just be precocious udder...but...I'd be looking for some other problems just to be safe.


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## KellyHM (May 24, 2011)

No fever, CMT negative, not hard/painful.

I talked to a friend who's a large animal vet (mostly equine) and he said this time of year there are a lot of plants with phytoestrogens that mimick hormones, so we're going to switch her to a grass-only pasture and see if she clears up.


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## elevan (May 24, 2011)

KellyHM said:
			
		

> ................
> I talked to a friend who's a large animal vet (mostly equine) and he said this time of year there are a lot of plants with phytoestrogens that mimick hormones, so we're going to switch her to a grass-only pasture and see if she clears up.




Sorry, made me giggle.

That would be precocious udder by way of natural estrogen therapy?  

I hope that's all it is!!


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## KellyHM (May 24, 2011)

elevan said:
			
		

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Apparently it happens all the time in horses.    The only "treatment" is to take them off the pasture, away from those plants.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 24, 2011)

I'm assuming "whitish fluid" isn't milk, or you'd have just said "milk."  If it was hormonal wouldn't she just be producing milk?    What is the fluid?


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## KellyHM (May 24, 2011)

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

> I'm assuming "whitish fluid" isn't milk, or you'd have just said "milk."  If it was hormonal wouldn't she just be producing milk?    What is the fluid?


It's not milk.  It's a clear, whitish fluid, but doesn't have the thickness of milk.  Does that make any sense?  I don't believe they would really produce milk with just the estrogen though...it's more like a watered-down version of milk.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (May 24, 2011)

KellyHM said:
			
		

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That's bizarre.  Well, precocious milkers are not uncommon... I've never heard of it being anything but milk though.


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## Ariel301 (May 24, 2011)

KellyHM said:
			
		

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I have a doe who always produces what you are describing in one side of her udder. She had mastitis that was left untreated for a long time before we got her, and it ruined that side of her udder. She milks fine on the other side, but the other side fills up with a clear, whitish, watery fluid with some small chunks in it; I empty it out a couple of times a week. 

If it's hormonal, they'd need more than just estrogen to really produce milk, so it kind of makes sense that it wouldn't be quite normal. Milk production is stimulated by the hormone oxytocin, and a few others that I can't think of at the moment. I know red clover has an estrogen-like compound that apparently can keep sheep from conceiving, so I wouldn't be too surprised if there were other weird effects as well. Soy products cause weird stuff like that in people sometimes, young boys consuming lots of soy can develop breasts and become rather feminine, little girls raised on soy formula sometimes start going into puberty at 5 or 6 years old. From what I've read, all legumes contain some of those estrogen mimickers, it just varies how much is in a particular species and how sensitive the individual eating it is.


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