Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Yipee!

I hope it isn't premature, but Glacier, the doe with mastitis, seems to be much better this evening! We've been praying, we've been treating her with medications (Today was the last medication we used), and we've been milking her twice a day to get the 'gunk' out.

Tonight when I milked her there were only a few spots of blood and one clump of milk! Her milk was tinted only the faintest pink. That is a big improvement over last night and the last week.

Her milk is all going to the ducks and chickens because we can't drink it right now. It seems to be doing wonderful things for all the poultry. Even the 9 year old Ameraucana has been laying 3 extra-large eggs every week. The other day I dropped one of the chicken eggs onto the ground, it didn't even crack. I guess they are getting enough calcium and protein from the 1.5 gallons of milk they are drinking every day.

This is Glacier. She is an American Saanen. When she was a kid she suffered from frostbite on her ears, so they are short. She is a good goat, giving about 6 pounds (3/4 gallon) of milk at each milking—even with mastitis!

2 comments:

Tonia said...

So glad she is doing better!! You can massage her udder with a mixture of peppermint and lavender essential oils in a base of olive oil. It will help with circulation and healing in her udder. Just after you milk her rub about a tablespoon plus into her udder and massage real well. I havent had a case of mastitis since I started using this when their udders may get congested. I massage this in mornign and night sometimes more depending on how bad it is. Iuse it for a teat dip too. I hope she continues to improve!

TJ said...

I've read the peppermint oil/lavender mixture in many places. If I wasn't so allergic to peppermint, I would give it a try!

Thanks for the note! It is so nice to have other people's advice and help. I've learned so much from people with more experience than me :o)