Mammary gland diseases (non-mastitis) Flashcards
What teat diseases can occur?
- Teat end injury
- Acquired teat-cistern obstructions
- Lacerations
What are the clinical signs of teat end injuries?
- Painful soft tissue swelling of the distal teat
- Incomplete milk-out from affected quarters
- Mastitis
How would we treat teat obstructions?
- Downward pressure applied
- Remove plug
- Cannulate to keep open
How do we treat teat injuries and lacerations?
- Clean and disinfect the wound
- Dress teat orifice with anti-septic cream and bandage after milking
- Treat any deep wounds
- Cannulation for 24 hours - so milk does not delay healing
- ATB if needed
What can cause a breakdown or loss of the support apparatus of the teat?
- Genetics
- Nutritional - poor vitamin & mineral balances
- Management - delayed treatment of udders
- Multiparous cows in herds producing a lot of milk
Describe the pathogenesis of a breakdown or loss of support apparatus
- Loosening of the support apparatus due to poor muscle and ligament quality
- Dropped of udder to floor
- Lateral deviation of teats
What are the clinical signs of a breakdown of the MEDIAL laminae?
The medial longitudinal groove between the left and right halves of the udder disappear
What are the clinical signs of a breakdown of the lateral laminae?
The udder is at the level of the hocks or lower
What are the clinical signs of a loss of fore udder support?
Forequarters appear detached from the ventral abdominal wall
How do we treat a breakdown or loss of support apparatus?
There is no treatment.
What can cause udder haematomas?
- Self-induced trauma
- External trauma
- Caudal udder haematomas, e.g. thrombosis or rupture of te perineal vein
What are the clinical signs of udder haematoma in lactating cows?
Soft tissue swelling cranial to the udder and blood from the teats
What are the clinical signs of udder haematoma in dry cows?
Swelling ventral to the vulva and dorsal to the read quarters
What are the clinical signs of udder oedma?
- Fluctuant, soft and firm
- Varying degrees of blood
- Painless and cool
What is the prognosis for udder haematomas?
Usually good with conservative treatment.
Guarded if progressive enlargement and anaemia, leading to death within 2-7 days
What is the main differential for an udder haematoma?
Udder abscess
How do we treat udder haematomas?
- Box or stall rest - monitoring for 12-24 hours
- Whole blood transfusion in severe cases
What are examples of INAPPROPRIATE treatment of udder haematomas?
- NSAID USE - heightens the risk of bleeding
- INCISION - risk of severe bleeding
What is a leaker teat?
When high intra-mammary pressure in high-producing cows leads to milk to drip from the teat
What are the consequences of leaker teats?
Mastitis will occur
What is the treatment of leaker teat?
None - cull
What are the causes of udder oedema?
- Physiological - few weeks before calving in heifers
- Genetics
- Cardac conditions
- Caudal vena cava thrombosis
- Mammary gland thrombosis
- Hypoproteinaemia
- High protein diets
- High dietary potassium
What are the clinical signs and consequences associated with udder oedema?
- Doughy, pitted consistency of the udder
- Painful
- Milking problems
- Mastitis risk
Which quarter/s are most commonly affected by udder oedema?
Rear quarters and the floor of the udder
How do we treat udder oedema?
- Diuretics - furosemide - 0.5-1mg/kg
- Salt restriction
- Frequent milking or calf suckling
- Udder supports
- Metritis treatment
What is intertrigo?
Udder cleft dermatitis - foul semlling areas of moist dermatitis in the udder clefts
What can cause intertrigo?
- Pressure necrosis - udder oedema
- Fusobacterium necrophorum
- Trueperella pyogenes
- Rarely
- Chorioptic mange
- Malassezia spp
What are the clinical signs of intertrigo?
- Fetid odour
- Skin necrosis of large patches of skin
- Lameness
How do we treat intertrigo?
- Disinfection - H202 or betadine
- Keep area dry
- ATB if required
What infectious agents cause udder diseases?
- Pseudocowpox
- Bovine ulcerative mammilitis
- Papillomatosis (esp BPV-5 & BPV-6)
- Caprine arthritis and encephalitis
- FMD
- Vesicular stomatitis
- Orf
- BVDV
- IBR
- Brucellosis
- Q fever
What is Q fever?
Coxiella burnetti
How is Q fever transmitted?
Ticks - Ixodes & Argas spp.
What are the clinical signs of Q fever?
- Abortion or stillbirth
- Retained placenta
- Endometritis
- Infertility
- Agalactia
- Fever
- Mastitis
