# Udder problems



## Golden (Apr 1, 2015)

Hi everyone,
I have a sheep that has an uncommon form of udder. We've never had sheep like this before therefore I am seeking help. She did have mastitis in one half of the udder but I medicated her and she looks fine. But now 4 pimples grown on the front of the udder and three of them are gone as seen on the photos attached. Here you can see some photos of her udder. This sheep have a huge mass of tissue in front of the udder. Before mastitis she was milking around 3 and a half L of milk per day and it still milks over 2L of milk, milked twice daily. I don't know exactly if this is a well uncommon udder or should I cull her?
Thanks


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## SheepGirl (Apr 1, 2015)

That doesn't look normal, maybe like an abscess? I'm not too knowledgeable about udders and mastitis as I'm not too into the dairy side of things, but my guess is that it will leave scar tissue reducing her production. If you can afford her producing 2 L of milk, then keep her, but if she needs to produce more to pull her weight I would cull her.

Also not being sure what it is in her udder I'm not sure I would use the milk myself. Udder isn't healthy, milk probably won't be either.

Maybe some goat people will have some ideas?


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## Golden (Apr 3, 2015)

Thanks for your help. Yes the front looks like an abscess but I don't know about the rear part of the udder. I am not using her milk at the moment. Maybe a vet can remove the abscess but I think it's not worthed and maybe risky. Now I'm drying her up and maybe will mate her for the last time maybe I'll get a female lamb from her.


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## Pearce Pastures (Apr 3, 2015)

I believe you had better get a vet to look at her.  There is definitely something wrong and I am not sure what.  Mastitis is likely but it does not look like any mastitis I have seen with those lumps and pustules things.


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## Sweetened (Apr 3, 2015)

That open scabbing looks like orf from the girl i lost, but being so close to the abcessed area it coukd be infection opening up the flesh. I would also be contacting a vet on that back side or maybe another sheep herdsman in your area, see if theyve seen anything like this. Was it normal looking pre mastitis?  Id be concerned, perhaps, with cancerous tissue?


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## Golden (Apr 5, 2015)

Pearce Pastures said:


> I believe you had better get a vet to look at her.  There is definitely something wrong and I am not sure what.  Mastitis is likely but it does not look like any mastitis I have seen with those lumps and pustules things.


Now the abscesses are gone. I disinfected the area and now she stopped scratching that area with her feet. The problem is regarding that lumpy tissue. Yes, a vet is needed, thanks for your help.


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## frustratedearthmother (Apr 5, 2015)

Please let us know what the vet says... Maybe we can all learn something new.  Good luck with her!


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## Golden (Apr 5, 2015)

Sweetened said:


> That open scabbing looks like orf from the girl i lost, but being so close to the abcessed area it coukd be infection opening up the flesh. I would also be contacting a vet on that back side or maybe another sheep herdsman in your area, see if theyve seen anything like this. Was it normal looking pre mastitis?  Id be concerned, perhaps, with cancerous tissue?


Yes, it was like that before mastitis. At around 10 months old, I noticed that this sheep had a swollen udder and watery fluid came out when I applied force on the teats. This happened months before breeding her. Lumps were felt and she was normally getting on heat. Then I've put her with the ram when she was on heat and she was on normal gestation. I noticed that her udder began enlarging at nearly four months of pregnancy and those present lumps enlarged with the udder too. She gave birth in October to two lambs and her udder remained with that lumpy tissue situated in front of the udder to the back as seen on the photos. They may be enlarging a few without making the sheep feeling ill and that may be the fact that is a cancer. Thanks for your crucial help!!


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