Drying off and an uneven udder??

[newbiekat]

We started drying her off about 1 1/2 weeks ago (we just stopped. I know that's controversial but that's what we did...) but now it seems like her udder is drying off unevenly. Not incredibly, but to the touch I am noticing that one side is less full than the other. Should I be concerned? If so, what should I do?

 

[TGreenhut]

We have a goat who always dries up unevenly and it just evens out when she bags up for freshening the following year. We have found no issue with it. I think it should be fine as long as you don't see any signs of mastitis. Make sure her udder isn't hot, hard, or swollen. You can always treat with "Tomorrow", that's what we use when we are drying up our does and we see signs of mastitis.

Edited to add: Is there a possibility she is "relieving herself" on one side by self nursing? Or perhaps she's so full that milk leaks out the one side when she's laying down?

 

[newbiekat]

She is not extremely full, just noticeably to the touch. You can sort of see a difference from behind, but you can tell more when you touch it... I don't think she was ever uneven when nursing her kids, or even when we were milking her... it's just strange. Do you think I should milk it out to make it even with the other to see if it will fix itself? Or would that not be good?

DH doesn't think she has mastitis, but I'm not convinced yet. I'm worried that she might be too far gone by the time we realize it.. Where could I get "Tomorrow" if I did need it? How long does it take her to really start having effects from the mastitis, and how would I know?

 

[Pearce Pastures]

You can get a mastitis test from just about any farm store or online. If it is positive, you probably can get Tomorrow at the same place you buy the test.