Mastidus

[Generally01]

Does anyone have this problem and how do you cure it naturally?

I did a little research and found that if you have a calf available to put it on the effected quarters, else you will have to mimick what a calf does, as in massaging or carefully bumping the udders while you milk it, best by hand. and then drain the affected quarters completely.

I have also found about half a cup of vinegar added to the cow's feed helps a lot, changes for the better can be seen as soon as the next milking.

but none of these solutions permanently prevent Mastidus or show what causes it.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Does anyone have this problem and how do you cure it naturally?

I did a little research and found that if you have a calf available to put it on the effected quarters, else you will have to mimick what a calf does, as in massaging or carefully bumping the udders while you milk it, best by hand. and then drain the affected quarters completely.

I have also found about half a cup of vinegar added to the cow's feed helps a lot, changes for the better can be seen as soon as the next milking.

but none of these solutions permanently prevent Mastidus or show what causes it.

Bowen therapy of the udder is pretty close to that biomimicry of a calf you described it hasn't caught on mainly because it's a learned skill and not a product.
Far from natural but we found the SCENAR to be really useful as well, if by natural you mean "not blasting it with antibiotics and destroying the biome" then it probably fits the box as well.
Squirt of homeopathy works a treat as well, but I'll retreat into my bunker now.... the real treatment for mastitis is not to ignore the things that exacerbate it and trigger it.

 

[Beef farmer]

What is it about cider vinegar that helps? Heard this before.

 

[Jdunn55]

I'll see if I can find the post at some point but theres a guy on Facebook mulking high yielding holsteins (13,000 litres average) and hes now using recocam/meloxidyl/metacam etc. injected into the vein (I think) asap along with some sort of bolus and he had really good results from it.

I'll see if I can find the post at breakfast for you!

 

[Bald Rick]

What is it about cider vinegar that helps? Heard this before.

Heard it's excellent for calf scour too

 

[Nukemall]

What is it about cider vinegar that helps? Heard this before.

Cider vinegar has anti-inflammatory properties. This will help with both mastitis and scour, but only relieve symptoms not a cure. I would think the best treatment would include some kind of pain killer as well, to encourage the animal to allow suckling to let the quarter be stripped.

 

[Generally01]

What is it about cider vinegar that helps? Heard this before.

Like Nukemall said it is anti-inflammatory and i think if not mistaken mastidus starts with slight stomach/feeding disorder which apple cider vinegar can help balance out, i really technically don't know how it works but i just know cider vinegar has really saved us a lot of trouble.

 

[Generally01]

Bowen therapy of the udder is pretty close to that biomimicry of a calf you described it hasn't caught on mainly because it's a learned skill and not a product.
Far from natural but we found the SCENAR to be really useful as well, if by natural you mean "not blasting it with antibiotics and destroying the biome" then it probably fits the box as well.
Squirt of homeopathy works a treat as well, but I'll retreat into my bunker now.... the real treatment for mastitis is not to ignore the things that exacerbate it and trigger it.

Thanks! and yes by natural i mean no chemicals, I am greatly opposed to chemicals, for the reason that nature grows immunity to it quickly (or it doesn't at all and completely dies) and you will be forced to use larger and larger quantities, leading to nothing but devastation, whereas on the other hand if you improve the good it will work for and towards a healthier system, instead of wiping out all good and bad bacteria all together.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Thanks! and yes by natural i mean no chemicals, I am greatly opposed to chemicals, for the reason that nature grows immunity to it quickly (or it doesn't at all and completely dies) and you will be forced to use larger and larger quantities, leading to nothing but devastation, whereas on the other hand if you improve the good it will work for and towards a healthier system, instead of wiping out all good and bad bacteria all together.

A large part of the "reason we have" mastitis in cattle is financial - as per my post on the other thread it's common to pass off our own flaws as "our nature" but our cows need to make money.

Replacements "cost a lot of money" so the common marginal response is to treat problems that could be culled out, sure accidents (like a knock to the udder or stress) happen, but a cow isn't designed to lie in her own sh!t in a house.
She isn't designed to be milked dry with a rubber interface 2 or 3 times a day.
And she certainly isn't designed to be treated with antibiotic.

 

[Generally01]

A large part of the "reason we have" mastitis in cattle is financial - as per my post on the other thread it's common to pass off our own flaws as "our nature" but our cows need to make money.

Replacements "cost a lot of money" so the common marginal response is to treat problems that could be culled out, sure accidents (like a knock to the udder or stress) happen, but a cow isn't designed to lie in her own sh!t in a house.
She isn't designed to be milked dry with a rubber interface 2 or 3 times a day.
And she certainly isn't designed to be treated with antibiotic.

Very true i really don't like to see cows in cramped areas and do my best to keep them in nice clean areas (rotational grazing). I have found (you can correct me) that to avoid most diseases, actually make a go of farming, and avoid bankruptcy etc the biggest pointer anybody could give anybody else would be to treat the animals the way they should be treated, spend extra time and money to keep them in proper conditions. after all you are depending on them for a living. Also mastidus doesn't spread through heritage.

 

[som farmer]

we have used a 'spell' on calves, to sort a problem out, and intend to use some spring calvers, with mini problems, to suckle some bb from our autumn block, whether it will work, or to much 'hassle' remains to be seen. The availability, of many LC tubes, is very limited, at the moment, which is why, we are going to try, the above. Anything that's bad, goes ! But have a few, that don't respond, just stick at 3-400 cc. If it works great, if not, just good calves, and a barrener.
Vets, are saying, pain relief, and stripping out, no a/b for e'co;i !!! PLI figures, are giving resistance to mastitus figures now, so they must think some is heritable, i do know, a/b use will continue to be severely controlled, and reduced !

 

[Generally01]

we have used a 'spell' on calves, to sort a problem out, and intend to use some spring calvers, with mini problems, to suckle some bb from our autumn block, whether it will work, or to much 'hassle' remains to be seen. The availability, of many LC tubes, is very limited, at the moment, which is why, we are going to try, the above. Anything that's bad, goes ! But have a few, that don't respond, just stick at 3-400 cc. If it works great, if not, just good calves, and a barrener.
Vets, are saying, pain relief, and stripping out, no a/b for e'co;i !!! PLI figures, are giving resistance to mastitus figures now, so they must think some is heritable, i do know, a/b use will continue to be severely controlled, and reduced !

What has the tendency to cause it could likely be heritable, but for the most part i think the biggest problem is neglect to make sure the cows are milked on time and mipked properly. And having pain may help the cow, if unaware of the problem cows may do things to only make it worse, but I understand that not all cows are as friendly as ours and can be a real pain at times. the sooner you can see the mastidus the better sometimes you can avoid almost altogether.

 

[Homesy]

Anyone used probiotics ? like Pruex ?

 

[Jdunn55]

Not me just someone I follow on facebook

 

[Bury the Trash]

Mastitis.

Surely someone can edit the title of the thread for the lad ?

 

[Generally01]

Mastitis.

Surely someone can edit the title of the thread for the lad ?

Sorry about that autocorrect spelled it that way so i assumed it was the correct way to spell it.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Sorry about that autocorrect spelled it that way so i assumed it was the correct way to spell it.

Auto correct can be a darn nuisance.

It's a good serious subject, far too many productive otherwise healthy animals are ruined by it.

 

[early riser]

Not me just someone I follow on facebook

what’s in the bolus’s then as IV Metacam and rumen pumping is fairly standard practice for most people already

 

[PuG]

When we milked years ago Dad can remember going through all the antibiotics and eventually end up back at the beginning with no real improvements long term (our milk hygiene was A**, but obviously susceptible cows, and normal Cornish weather). Gave up on it, instead kept a few aloe vera plants growing on the parlor window seal and when needed cut the section of a leaf open, and tubed the jelly into the udder. Seemed to work a treat.

 

[Cowman31]

Does anyone have this problem and how do you cure it naturally?

I did a little research and found that if you have a calf available to put it on the effected quarters, else you will have to mimick what a calf does, as in massaging or carefully bumping the udders while you milk it, best by hand. and then drain the affected quarters completely.

I have also found about half a cup of vinegar added to the cow's feed helps a lot, changes for the better can be seen as soon as the next milking.

but none of these solutions permanently prevent Mastidus or show what causes it.

I think they cure naturally by dying don’t they