Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
becomes almost blue and is cold to the touch. This type of mastitis is critical
and requires treatment with intramuscular or intravenous (IV) antibiotics in
order to save the ewe. She may also require IV fl uids.
Chronic, or subclinical, mastitis may be undetected, showing up only at
the ewe's next lambing, when she has milk in only half of her udder and the
other half is hard. Mild cases may be caused by bruises. Bruising can result
from large lambs, especially near weaning, that bump their mothers with
great zest as they nurse (sometimes lifting her hind end right off the ground)
or twins who pummel her simultaneously. Mild mastitis has fewer symptoms,
and the ewe may just wean the lambs by refusing to let them nurse.
Sheep people say that mastitis is governed by Murphy's law. The severity
and incidence of mastitis is directly proportional to the value of the ewe, her
lack of age, the number of lambs she delivered, the severity of the weather,
and how busy you are at lambing time.
Take a milk sample to your veterinarian as soon as you suspect mastitis, or
buy a California Mastitis Test (CMT) kit from a farm-supply store for doing
the testing yourself. The CMT is easy to use and fairly inexpensive, and the
reagent (or chemical) used in the test will last for years, so the investment is
well worth it. To sample, clean around the teat with an antiseptic, then squirt
the fi rst few bits of milk out on the ground. Squirt the next couple into the
paddle that comes with the CMT or into a clean bottle if you are taking it to
a vet. Add a few drops of reagent and swirl the paddle with a slight rocking
MASTITIS TREATMENT
Veterinarians often prescribe injectable antibiotics for mastitis,
as well as intramammary injections that are readily available from
farm-supply companies. The applicator for these is designed for
cows, so it is large and inconvenient to use with sheep, but it will
work. The product is squirted directly into the teat. Infected sides
should be milked out as completely and as often as possible, and
the milk should be destroyed. Combination treatment drugs are
available for both acute and chronic mastitis, and these agents
may be effective against several of the causative bacteria. I prefer
to have a sample run for a “culture and sensitivity” test, which
leads to the best treatment regimen for the particular bacterium
that is causing the infection.
