How and with what to treat mastitis in goats at home

Inflammation of the mammary gland in goats is called mastitis. The spread of the disease in the herd causes a decrease in milk yield. Mastitis occurs due to a bacterial infection that is transmitted to healthy animals and humans. The disease can be successfully treated with antibiotics, and preventive measures and compliance with maintenance rules will help avoid re-infection.

Description of the disease

Mastitis, or breastfeeding, occurs in primiparous goats within 24 hours or 30-45 days after lambing. The disease can be unilateral and affects one lobe of the udder, or bilateral, covering both lobes. Under the influence of a bacterial infection, swelling occurs in the udder tissues and blood circulation is impaired. The consistency and taste of the milk also changes. It becomes bitter, sour, transparent.

There are different types of mastitis:

• purulent - an acute form of bacterial infection, accompanied by purulent discharge from the nipples, inflammation on the skin of the udder;
• serous - accumulation of fluid in tissues;
• catarrhal - inflammation manifests itself in the form of painful redness of the udder;
• hemorrhagic - leads to stagnation of blood and the formation of bruises.

The disease occurs in chronic and acute forms. With a chronic course, external signs do not always appear. In acute mastitis, the udder looks swollen, heavy, and the affected lobe or nipples darken.

Pathogens and causes of appearance

The main reason for the development of mastitis is the penetration of bacteria into the breast tissue. The methods of infection differ: through dirty hands and bedding, open wounds or as a result of thermal exposure. Diseases and vitamin deficiency reduce the immunity of goats.

Biological

The causative agents of mastitis are staphylococcus and streptococcus bacteria. Pathogenic microorganisms enter the udder from soiled bedding and dirty hands.

Causes of biological mastitis:

• infrequent cleaning of the barn, accumulation of excrement on the floor;
• dirty goat udder after milking;
• chronic diseases in animals;
• lack of vitamins in the diet;
• irregular meals.

Mastitis is also transmitted from a sick animal to a healthy one.

Mechanical

Mastitis develops as a result of damage to the skin of the nipples: scratches, bruises. Goats step on their own udder if it is large, or damage it in a fight. Bacteria penetrate into wounds and cause inflammation.

The udder is injured in the following cases:

• during milking with a violation of technique - with pulling out the nipples with two fingers, strongly pinching the ends;
• During independent walks of the animal, goats jump onto the roofs of outbuildings, fences and cling to their udders.

Also the cause of mechanical mastitis is the accumulation of milk in the udder. To avoid stagnation, massage is done before and after milking. If you start milking without preparing the udder, the milk will not be expressed completely.

Thermal

Thermal causes include:

• overheating - the animal gets burned if it lies in the sun for a long time;
• hypothermia - due to being in a draft, contact of the udder with cold ground, floor, wet bedding.

Cold and heat reduce the animal's body's defenses, and an inflammatory process begins in damaged tissues.

Signs and symptoms of the disease

Mastitis at an early stage is manifested by the following symptoms:

• redness of the udder lobe;
• hardening of the gland;
• temperature increase.

Symptoms of progressive mastitis:

• compaction in the mammary gland rapidly increases;
• the amount of milk decreases;
• temperature rises;
• lymph nodes enlarge.

Mastitis in a nursing goat is also recognized by a decrease in the quality of milk.Signs of a product obtained from a nursing goat:

• pink tint due to ichor;
• mucous clots;
• turbidity;
• translucency;
• bitter taste;
• the appearance of flakes and blood clots in the sediment;
• rapid coagulation when boiling.

The consistency and taste of milk change as a result of the activity of bacteria. With progressive mastitis, the general condition of the animal worsens. The goat reacts painfully to touching the udder and spreads its legs wide.

Types of disease

Based on the speed of the disease and the severity of symptoms, four types of mastitis are distinguished.

Subclinical

The initial form is caused by blockage of the nipples with milk clots. With subclinical mastitis, the gland only becomes denser. Milk that is milked is bitter, gives sediment and turns sour the next day.

Chronic

The initial form of mastitis becomes chronic, which also does not manifest itself with clear symptoms.

Acute (manifest, infectious, gangrenous)

Mastitis begins or goes into an acute phase when the udder becomes infected with a bacterial infection. All clinical symptoms appear, milk curdles and milk yield decreases. Inflammation in tissues leads to gangrene and sepsis. Without treatment, acute mastitis leads to the death of the animal.

Imaginary

The form of the disease occurs without bacterial infection and inflammation. The udder swells, the mammary glands become coarse. Expressing milk becomes difficult. But hidden mastitis differs from the other three forms in that there is no sediment or impurities in the milk.

Diagnostic methods

How is catarrhal mastitis diagnosed:

• visually inspect the udder - asymmetry and redness indicate enlarged glands and inflammation;
• measure body temperature - the acute form is accompanied by an increase;
• palpate the affected areas - if there is swelling, enlarged lymph nodes and a restless reaction of the goat to touching the udder, a bacterial infection is suspected.

For laboratory testing, milk is expressed and blood is taken. Based on the results of the analysis, the type of pathogenic bacteria is identified and an antibiotic is prescribed that will help in a particular case.

You can determine mastitis without a veterinarian using the liquid product “Masttest-AF”, which is sold at a veterinary pharmacy. How the research is carried out:

• pour a few drops of milk into a sterile container from one lobe of the udder, and then from the other;
• add the same amount of product to the milk and observe the color change.

The yellow-orange color of the sample means the absence of pathogenic organisms. Light green, dark blue color of milk means mastitis. The method is suitable for diagnosing the disease at the initial stage after lambing.

Rules for the treatment of mastitis

During treatment, it is necessary to reduce the proportion of succulent food in the diet in order to reduce milk production and the load on the udder. To combat mastitis, veterinary and traditional methods of treatment are used.

Medications

Acute mastitis should be treated with antibacterial drugs. Medicines should be prescribed by a veterinarian based on the results of a bacteriological analysis of milk.

The following table shows the drugs used and an approximate treatment regimen:

In combination with antibiotics, special ointments will help cure mastitis:

• "Pikhtorin" - an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent intended for the treatment of damage to the skin of animals, contains turpentine, petroleum jelly, precipitated chalk and fir essential oil;
• "Intrasan" is a liniment for the treatment of all types of disease.

Subclinical mastitis is treated with homeopathic remedies:

• "Mastometrin" is an ampoule drug against inflammation;
• “Travmatin” is an injection solution, indicated for udder injuries.

In addition to the main treatment, injections with chlorophyllipt can be given.One milliliter of the herbal preparation is diluted in ten milliliters of a 25 percent novocaine solution and injected into the nipple after milking. After 4 hours the goat is milked again. Chlorophyllipt is injected twice a day for five days. Mastitis is easier to prevent than to treat. To permanently eliminate the risk of disease, it is necessary to administer Mastiet Forte before starting goats.

The medicine is also used to treat subclinical and acute forms of mastitis, in combination with other drugs.

Traditional methods and recipes

Ointments from your home medicine cabinet will help cure a goat of mastitis:

• ichthyol - helps cleanse wounds with a purulent form of the disease;
• Vishnevsky liniment - accelerates healing;
• baby cream - softens rough skin.

Instead of cosmetic cream, homemade cream is prepared from goat fat and wax. To treat mastitis at home, people resort to folk recipes.

Calendula will help relieve inflammation:

• mix flowers with Vaseline in a ratio of 1:5;
• apply 3 times a day.

Dill has a diuretic effect and helps cleanse the blood. Brew 4 tablespoons of seeds in ten liters of boiling water. The goat must drink the entire volume during the day. The course of treatment is 7-12 days. Dill can be replaced with grass or lingonberry leaves.

Experienced farmers advise adhering to the following rules for mastitis in goats:

• massage the udder lightly;
• After milking, apply cream to clean teats.

The goat's udder should be washed with warm water, wiped dry, and then apply the cream. Active massage is harmful during the treatment period, as bacteria from the outbreak are spread throughout the udder. The skin of the nipple, lubricated with cream, slides in your hands. As a result, the tissue is pinched, torn, and the inflammation worsens.

Rules for caring for recovered goats

After illness, goats have reduced immunity, so animals need to be protected from drafts and provided with vitamin nutrition.

How to protect a recovered goat from relapse of mastitis:

• carry out general cleaning in the barn - change the bedding, ventilate, insulate the walls so that the animal is clean and warm;
• give fresh, clean water at room temperature - wash and refill drinking bowls every five hours;
• include more green food and root vegetables in the diet - during the recovery period, give fresh hay, carrots, cabbage, pears and apples every day.

To restore immunity and water-salt balance, it is useful to give goats fortified feed and salt.

Prevention measures

The following measures will help reduce the risk of contracting mastitis:

• compliance with milking technique - start and end with a massage, express milk with three fingers, completely empty the udder and wipe off any remaining milk;
• limiting walking time in winter, in damp weather - humidity and draft reduce the animal’s immunity;
• timely start before lambing - stop milking the goat 2 months before giving birth.

At the first sign or suspicion of mastitis, you should consult your veterinarian.

Is it possible to drink the milk of a sick goat?

During the period of treatment for mastitis, milk production decreases and sometimes stops. It is possible to milk the goat again after the next birth. In order not to throw away milk expressed during illness, goat breeders find uses for it: they boil it and give it to the animals to drink, and add it to cosmetics. The milk of a sick first-calf goat is never given to kids.

According to the recommendation of veterinarians, mastitis milk should not be consumed as food, as it contains waste products of bacteria and causes poisoning in people and animals.

Milk from a goat with mastitis is also not suitable for feeding. Young animals are developmentally delayed, suffer from indigestion and often contract infections due to low immunity.