Mastitis in elderly mare

AFlapjack

AFlapjack

Well-Known Member
Joined
31 March 2010
Messages
1,346
Location
Devon, UK
Visit site
Mare is in her late 20s and last summer suffered from mastitis. Vet gave antibiotics and all cleared up.

Looking at her now I think she has it again so spoken to vet etc. Last year we had to get vet out all the time to give antibiotics as we struggled to insert into the end of her teats. She obviously found it extremely sore bless her. And this meant huge call out costs etc for us.

Just wondering is there anything we can do or feed, supplements?, to help her prevent getting it again. I have heard feeding rosehip to help with her immune system and copper too. We were told to milk her but really struggle as she kicks out. It must be so painful.

She is a poor doer now she is older, but suffered from lami in her younger years. She is currently fed fast fibre, pure easy chaff and senior mix.

Thanks.
 
what did vet advise?

a word of warning (i have milked goats for my vet for many yrs) if you milk any animal it will continue to produce more milk,
 
He said to bathe in hot water to relieve swelling and milk her to get the infection out!

I just wondered if many older mares get it, especially those which have bred in the past, and if it can be managed or even better, prevented, in any way.
 
over the years I have dealt with a couple of mares with mastitis, the treatment is what your vet described. We bathed with warm water and stripped it (milked the infected side) and inserted the tubes when the bathing was finished. I found that while they didn't want you bathing it first, they got relief and settled and when you'd been doing it for a while 10/15 minutes would allow you to strip the infected pus from the teat, when no more came you bathed some more loosening the pus and then stripped again and when we were finished we inserted the tube into the teat (at that stage the teat wasn't as sore so they didn't object, but it was very "fiddley" to do). It is easier to do if you have someone good to hold the mare but its possible to do it alone if you put the mare in a corner. One mare required the twitch to be applied for the first couple of minutes but then as she got relief she would relax and it could be removed. The heat of the water gives relief and softens the lumps in the udder making it easier to strip it out and once you have no more yellow muck coming you stop stripping so there is no danger of bringing them into milk. (although one of the mares I dealt with had it twice when she was suckling and the vet put it down to a snotty nosed foal needless to say we didn't put tubes in her for the foal to suck!) With cows as a prevention we put "pour on" on them to prevent flies as they can be a problem with giving them the infection in the first place, we didn't do anything else with those mares and one never had it again once the treatment was finished and the other had it again a couple of years later. One mare was 8 when she had it, the other 9 and 11 but age had nothing to do with it.
 
Last edited:
Our ex broodie got it three summers ago (last foal three years before that) it was a one off she hasnt ever got it again, and we had to strip her out. Don't worry it's not milk and so you are not going to produce any 'more' it's puss and needs to be stripped out. Our vet gave us butes to feed her while doing it and antibiotics (injected then orally) drops wont be enough.
 
I also recommend feeding micronised linseed for condition as our girl is a poor doer too. The other thing I do is make sure that the area is fly sprayed daily as we think it was the flies that 'gave' her the infection. I also give her courses of liquid echinacea if she is looking off. Your mare may benefit from some now can be bought in most feed stores. It helps with fighting infections.
 
Very old fashioned......but...... to prevent once it cleared up, coat the teat tips with Stockholm Tar every few days in fly/spring/summer time.

Whilst treating you could twitch her for the stripping out and application of A.B. tube. To prevent next year use a "dry cow" tube early on.
 
Last edited:
stripping out is not milking as mentioned must be quite an infection if stripping out is required, good luck with her
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top