I was out weeding the pasture down on all fours the other day, when one of my does came over to see what I was doing.
She’s always been the most curious of my goats, so she normally comes over to say hi and see what’s going on.
As I was down at her level, though, I noticed that her udder seemed to be very swollen.
I was, naturally, very concerned about this, and stopped what I was doing to try and diagnose what was going on.
I’m no vet, though, so I decided it would be best to look into it.
So, why is my goat’s udder swollen?
The most common cause of a swollen udder is a condition called mastitis. This is the inflammation of breast tissue which can occur in most mammals. Other causes could be a staph infection or injuries from aggressive nursing. The best thing to do if you see your goat’s udder swollen is to call a vet.
There are a wide variety of reasons your goat might have a swollen udder, and it can be more or less of a concern depending on how it came to be swollen.
Ultimately, you should do your best to establish the cause of the swelling in order to administer the best treatment.
What causes a goat’s udder to swell?
The simple answer is lots of things.
Mastitis is perhaps the most common cause.
Mastitis involves inflammation of a goat’s mammary glands, and is quite common in goats that are raised with even somewhat intensive management practises.
Particularly, it is a problem on bigger farms.
The inflammation is caused by a chemical reaction in the milk, causing swelling.
The other most common cause is a staph infection, usually the result of overly damp or humid conditions.
Pimples and whiteheads will develop on the udder, growing and spreading and even becoming contagious to other goats.
Finally, the third most common reason is if the goat is nursing, especially in those cases where the goat has given birth to two or more kids.
The kids will cause damage with harsh feeding, and even excessive feeding.
So, as you can see, there are lots of reasons your goat’s udder might be swollen.
You should able to narrow the cause down by eliminating possibilities—for example, if the goat hasn’t recently given birth, or you don’t live in humid conditions.
The more important thing to know is how to treat it.
How do you treat swollen udder?
While part of knowing how to treat a swollen udder is knowing what caused it in the first place, the fact is that, in most cases, there won’t be a huge amount you can do about the swelling.
Without speaking to a vet, that is.
Typically, treatment will be via a specified medication for whatever in particular afflicts the goat.
If you have the expertise to be able to definitively identify the cause and know the appropriate treatment, then you can buy certain things like Vetericyn Antimicrobial Utility Spray, if, for example, you had a staph infection.
However, for most of us, we don’t have the training or expertise to be able to accurately identify, let alone treat, the cause of swollen udders.
My advice would always be to call a vet and have them evaluate your goat.
Mastitis is one of the most common problems, so let’s look at how to fix that.
How do you fix mastitis in goats?
Again, my only real advice would be to call a vet.
I do not recommend you attempt any of these treatments yourself unless you are a trained expert, knowing exactly what you’re doing.
That said, there are a couple of common treatments for mastitis.
One is teat dipping, in which the teats are dipped into antimicrobials like the one mentioned above, along with hydrogel.
You can also utilize antibiotics with intramammary infusions.
Again, though, this is not something to try if you are not a trained vet.
If you are not a trained vet, there’s one simple solution to mastitis: call a vet.
You stand a real chance of making the problem worse if you attempt a botched treatment yourself, so don’t risk it.
Do goats’ udders swell up when in heat?
While the udder itself doesn’t typically swell when a goat is in heat, you may notice that its vulva is in fact swollen.
If you do notice swelling in this area when the goat is in heat, you have nothing to worry about.
The udder, though, being swollen, probably indicates an issue of some kind.
Don’t leave that up to chance, even if your goat is in heat.
What is a precocious udder in goats?
One thing you may mistake for a swollen udder, particularly in a young doe, is what’s called a precocious udder.
If your goat is from a very strong milking line, then it’s often the case that there udder will fill with milk even without breeding.
An udder full of milk is not swollen, but you will need to milk them in order for the goat to be comfortable.
Don’t forget this, either, as the final word: your goat’s udder might just need milking!
A swollen udder is not an uncommon problem, then. there are many reasons a doe can be afflicted in this way, and while it is usually something that can be robustly treated with no problem, you shouldn’t be complacent about it. as soon as you notice a problem, if you can’t diagnose the cause yourself, get a vet out as soon as possible and keep an eye out for abnormal behavior in the goat.