*GRAPHIC*-Strep mastitis gone wrong-pic heavy-update 5/14

[animalfarm]

Most interesting. Keep those pictures coming. I would like to see how the healing progresses over time.

That quarter is probably toast, but the odds are good that everything else will work when the time comes. What is the reason you don't use intra-muscular anti-biotics in addition to the local udder treatments, now that the mass is drained? I cannot use the teat route as my cow decapitated her front teats and they are essentially an open pipeline which cannot hold anything in and I found the shots to be quite effective.

 

[Snowhunter]

The reason I didn't give any systemic antibiotics was that the infection was isolated in the udder. She never showed signs of going systemic once the initial inflamation went down. I kept an eye on her overall health, temp and went with my gut.

Don't get me wrong, she looked to be coming close once and I had stuff ready to treat ASAP, but she was actually "stoned" on the banamine, not systemically infected.

Even now, I will not treat if there is no reason, that just breeds antibiotic resistance. There is no infection other then what goop is left coming out of that quarter, which I'm able to get out with saline flushes and gravity. Being able to keep a close eye and check her multiple times during the day helps and I can ward off another infection before it gets out of control and does any damage.

I think Sweet Pea is a SUPER cow. She stood the whole time I worked on her and cut into her yesterday, with only some tail swishing and a foot lift once when I touched a very tender spot. Same thing the whole time we've been dealing with this. This cow is somethin else. If nothin else, she's got the sheer darned determined will to get through this, and do it in style

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Thanks for the education.

 

[Snowhunter]

Interesting article..shows graphics and explains the how the whole udder works.. pretty interesting. http://agriculture .kzntl.gov.za/publications/production_guidelines/dairying_in_natal/dairy6_1.htm

I was trying to find good graphics and an explanation of what I was seeing, if infact, the mastitis took out the entire quarter and it is now non productive, or if it just infected a small part....

Also found this article from the Univ of Kentucky
http://www.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/Ftrips/beef/milkpro.htm

This one has some interesting stuff, on udder components and how it all works
http://classes.ansci.illinois.edu/ansc438/mams tructure/anatomy_5.html

So Im no closer to figuring out what her quarter is doing.. but, after tonights flush and hole packing, I felt pretty good.

I was able to get my finger up inside and there is still goop in there, but it felt like things were closing up...but I can't tell if it was the udder cistern contracting back to normal size, or the whole quarter contracting back up together



I did forget to add, that Sweet Pea has been getting supportive nutritional care, a handful of comfrey, elecampane root and olive leaf 2x a day, acv in the water and extra Vit AD and E capsules as well.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Interesting article..shows graphics and explains the how the whole udder works.. pretty interesting. http://agriculture .kzntl.gov.za/publications/production_guidelines/dairying_in_natal/dairy6_1.htm

I was trying to find good graphics and an explanation of what I was seeing, if infact, the mastitis took out the entire quarter and it is now non productive, or if it just infected a small part....

Also found this article from the Univ of Kentucky
http://www.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/Ftrips/beef/milkpro.htm

This one has some interesting stuff, on udder components and how it all works
http://classes.ansci.illinois.edu/ansc438/mamstructure/anatomy_5.html

So Im no closer to figuring out what her quarter is doing.. but, after tonights flush and hole packing, I felt pretty good.

I was able to get my finger up inside and there is still goop in there, but it felt like things were closing up...but I can't tell if it was the udder cistern contracting back to normal size, or the whole quarter contracting back up together



I did forget to add, that Sweet Pea has been getting supportive nutritional care, a handful of comfrey, elecampane root and olive leaf 2x a day, acv in the water and extra Vit AD and E capsules as well.

Just editing a link that accidently had a space put in it.


Thanks for sharing all that, wow, what grossness.

I was also wondering if some of that mass was mammary tissue, it's (IMO) highly likely it is, with all those alveoli possibly being so badly infected with the bacteria that they simply sloughed off from the rest of the tissue in the udder. Again, IMO I think, from looking at the pictures, that she may have that quarter working again is very slim. But, as others said, nothing wrong with having a three-quartered cow.

Thanks again, Snow, very educational!

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Very cool! Thanks for posting such a detailed post. I hope she heals up well.

 

[Snowhunter]

Thanks for fixin that, WRB!!

Anything is possible, at this point..I wish I had xray type vision so I could really know whats goin on in there!!!!

Any yes.. much grosseness! LOL!

Here are tonights photos.. I can't tell, just by looking and feeling, if the quarter truly had an abccess in the wall or the whole quarter.. either is possible by the way it looked this evening. Total crapshoot! The inner part of the left quarter is soft and pliable.. has a pillow density feeling to it. Not hot or hard. The shelf that was on the bottom of the outside, is still there, but its shrinking.

Any here's the wound.. post saline flush

And gooped up with ointment and packed w.gauze to help keep it open so it heals from inside out

This could all go anyway...at this point, I'm just here to observe, flush and keep the wound clean so she can do the hard work of healing.

She does enjoy lots of scritches and lovins when we bring her in though

 

[RPC]

Wow this sure was an interesting post thank you.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Very cool. It must have been really satisfying pulling that huge mass out! I'm one of the weirdos who loves abcess and stuff. Definitely keep us posted on the progress!

 

[Snowhunter]

This stuff is pretty fascinating.. gross but fascinating

This mornings pictures...

So.. yall remember me mentioning left front quarter was just doing nothing but sitting there, filled w/some sorta somethin? Guess what I saw this morning?

That indicates SOME kind of healing.. the quarter is no bigger or hotter then its been before, nor is it anymore tender..the teat is still very much tender so I just ever so gently squeezed to see what happened, and I got this stuff out

Maybe there's hope for the front quarter yet..

This is what the backside of the udder looked like this morning..

I coped a good feel and the section towards the middle was soft and pliable and just warm to the touch, not hot. The floppy outside part is just, well, there.. doesn't seem to be fluid or air in there...just extra skin that has no where to go and stretched beyond repair... I could be wrong though.. I did NOT stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night

The hole is doing well...draining, healing and doin its thang

I'm not sure how well you can hear, but I got a short video clip of Sweet Pea doing her moo thing...