Milk goat - injured teat

[Kristi]

My milk goat, Clementine, injured herself Weds. (posting this Fri am). Somehow she managed to gash open her right teat. The milk leaked out (of the gash), and she had blood on her legs that first day. I have left that side alone (putting Neosporin on the wound twice a day), and have been able to milk the other side. The gash seemed to be healing up / closing. She's been eating and acting normally. (I'm giving her a few squirts of nutridrench twice a day)

Yesterday (thurs), no leaking. Udder & teat looked pretty full but not too bad. This morning (Friday) I noticed the gash was leaking milk (no blood). The exhertion of jumping up onto the milkstand caused it to start squirting out. As I milked her left side, it squirted/leaked the whole time. Wasn't empty when I was finished, but she wouldn't stand any more so I let her out into the yard. I'm sure it will leak out til empty. She makes 1 1/2 to 2 gallons a day, I've been milking twice a day since we sold the babies.

Should I do anything else? Tape it closed? I'd rather not pay for a vet if I don't have to. She doesn't like me to touch it but I could manage quick work. Gotta run, but I'll come back in a bit and post pics.

 

[madcow]

If it's gushing milk when she has let down during milking it sounds like it needs to be sutured closed or it will continue to open every time you milk her in response to her milk letting down. A wound that continues to open up will likely set her up for a possible infection in the wound. I would certainly thoroughly irrigate the wound and then put some butterfly bandages on the wound to encourage it to stay closed. If it has been open for 2 days the likelihood of her udder being contaminated with some pathogen is pretty likely, especially since there's a pathway to the milk, from the sounds of it. I would take her to the vet if she exhibits any signs of infection such as warmth, redness, excessive tenderness in that udder, malaise, going off feed or has an elevated temperature. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to go ahead and put her on an antibiotic just for good measure. Good luck with her and keep us up to date.

 

[babsbag]

I agree with madcow, she probably needs stitches, and I would watch closely for mastitis.

 

[goatgurl]

agreeing with madcow and babsbag, i would definitely have it seen by a vet and stitched if possible. it may be to late after two days but you should sure check. better to pay a vet bill than loose a good milking doe. let us know how things go.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

x2

 

[Kristi]

Thanks for all the input! I have been crazy busy today, and tomorrow is the same, so I may not be able to call a vet anyway. She is still acting fine, not hot, still eating & drinking and walking around normally. It has not opened up again. I milked the other side three times today. I have some antibiotics on hand for other animals, I will give her some. Certainly if she has trouble through the weekend, I will call on Monday. I'll post pics (when it was squirting out, then later in the day when it was dry). Tonight it's looking better than these pics for sure. And I think she's making less milk, so it's not getting as stretched.

 

[babsbag]

Make sure that she is current on her tetanus vaccine.

 

[alsea1]

I know it is expensive but sometimes a vet call is cheaper in the long run.
I have learned from exp. that hard lesson. It cost my mare her eye when I decided to treat it myself.

 

[Kristi]

Update and question.

Update: it's been 3 weeks or so since she injured herself. It healed up, I was milking gently, she seemed fine. Then a few days ago it seemed to open up again, and coincided with some weight loss, liquid diarrhea, and being a bit off her feed (still ate hay and drank water, but wouldn't touch the grains or get on the milkstand so I couldn't milk). So I took her to the vet yesterday.

Her wound healed, but with a hole. I think the scab came off, that's why it was squirting out again. But the flesh is healed, and doc is not worried about infection, since it's squirting out every time she lets down. He gave her an antibiotic just in case (and a vitB shot to stimulate her appetite). As far as the other stuff.....while we were there she pooped normal berries and was eating every weed in sight. Just like my children - deathly ill at home, then perfectly fine by the time we rushed to the pedi. Sheesh. So, looking back, I think the scab coming off happened to coincide with giving her too many melon rinds. She seems fine now in that regard, just sick of cob, and I've been able to milk both sides.

For the wound, doc recommends refreshening the sides of the wound and stitching it closed...after she's dried off. So I'm contemplating when to do that.

Question: He gave her oxytet at the office, and gave me two more vials, to be injected SQ every 72 hours. I googled it a bit, and looks like the withdrawal time would be another 6 days after the last dose? That's a long time. I asked him if I could feed that milk to my dogs or chickens, and he said they'd build up a resistance to the antibiotic, which would be bad if they ever had to have it.

But I don't see us ever giving chickens meds - they're for laying eggs, not beloved pets. So really, my question is: If I feed it to the laying chickens, will it come through in their eggs, and build up a resistance in US?

 

[alsea1]

My guess would be yes to it going into the egg. As for the eggs being unfit for consumption I think that is up to you.
If you are worried about antibiotic issues then no, I would not eat them.
When in doubt I throw it out.
Whey we raise our own meat and eggs it is us that plays the part of USDA for ourselves. We have to be pretty smart about it. Medicating our animals when they need it is a nec. evil. But we have to be savy about it.
If it was me I would just toss the milk until the withdraw time is out. I would not feed it to laying or meat birds.