I need tips to even out an uneven udder

[Rachel Whetzel at MigMog Acres]

My first Freshener Lucy has an uneven udder. I get milk out of both sides, so she didn't dry up on the smaller side. I can't tell if her single favors the larger side or the smaller... So I have a few questions:

Is it too late to even up an uneven udder?

What can I do to help?

Will this be an issue next kidding, or will I get a "do over" with her?

[Rachel Whetzel at MigMog Acres]

I use it in place of band-aides! I love it.

[Lisa Cotter]

I think so, looks like it to me on the web. The stuff is wonderful!

[Rachel Whetzel at MigMog Acres]

The yearlings are on a different doe. :) I'm willing to share with them for now. :) I dam raise, but I didn't start separating as soon as I think I should have. Especially with the lopsided doe, because she had twins, but wasn't letting one of them nurse.

Lisa, that's the same thing as vet wrap, yes? I have that. :)

[Penny J Tyler]

If you milk less you are asking the udder to produce less that is not what you want or I don't think that is what you want.

Try teat tape and see if it works, keep her away from her yearlings. ;-) As long as there is no mastitis then next year should be better.

I took my kids at birth and started milking it worked for me but many don't like that and prefer to separate kids and Moms later. Whatever works for you is what is best for you. There are many styles of management that are just fine.

Penny Tyler.
 
Rachel Whetzel said:

She is definitely my most skittish doe. She has gotten past laying down at milking, and seems to be getting more relaxed, but she's definitely not at ease totally. I do massage the udder, and that helps. I just wondered if I should be milking less on one side or the other to help her even out? I have started getting a little more milk from her, so I'm hoping that's because she's evening out a bit. It's not a noticeable when she's full, but once I milk her out, it's pretty obvious. I took pictures today, so I'll try to load those.

[Penny J Tyler]

Make sure that what she has is a wart and not a small spur or extra teat before you have it removed. If it is a wart the vet would be the one to talk to about removal. If it is a teat abnormality, that is a whole "nuther" fish to fry. In almost all cases that is genetic and can pass on to offspring. Here I would either keep her a pet or sell her as a non breeding pet. As you said it makes her hard to milk.

I would ask the vet if they think it is a wart it removing it would leave a scar that would interfere with milking.

I hope it is an easy fix for you. :-)

Penny Tyler
 
Glenna Rose said:

I'm sort of having the same problem with Summer.  Triplets were born April 7th.  At first udder seemed even but by two-three weeks became very uneven.  The left side has a wart/growth on the outside just above the teat.  Unfortunately, it falls exactly where it gets in the way of milking.  I started milking her almost two weeks ago and have to use the hand milker on that side to get any amount out.  Slowly she seems to be evening up more but I'm still concerned she will not completely.  There seems to be milk related to size in that the right size "gives" almost twice as much milk.  I'm really not pleased about the wart/growth since except for that she is so easy to milk.  She also seems to discourage babies from eating from that side which, of course, does not help the size situation.

Because she has triplets, I feel guilty taking milk from her each morning.  She seems so thin, a bit thinner than her mom with only one left.  Vet didn't seem worried; he said, "She *is* feeding babies."  I should not be comparing her with her little sister who is a little tubbo these days; you'd think she was pregnant!  Ginger actually is as broad (or broader) now as Summer was just before giving birth.  No way would anyone have guessed she was carrying triplets!  Unfortunately, Ginger manages to get into the grain and the alfalfa pellets from time to time and is getting a lot of browse right now.  She, however, feels abused because she doesn't get her own grain!

I'm glad to hear that next lactation, things will be even again (as they were when she was pregnant).  When she is dried up, can the wart/growth be removed?  Is that ever done?

[Lisa Cotter]

We use a tape here in the medical office called, coban. It sticks to itself not the skin, I've seen vets use it for pressure bandages.

[Rachel Whetzel at MigMog Acres]

Yeah!! lol I was thinking I *might* be able to rig something up using an old sheet... we'll see.

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

Like a breeding apron for bucks!

[Rachel Whetzel at MigMog Acres]

I'm thinking I might try and rig a sling like they sell for udders to keep kids off... if I can do it, I could cut out one side. If I do it, and it works, I'll share pictures.

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

I don't recall if I explained last time this came up, so ... I can see where taping a doe's teat would work to some degree, but there are two reasons I don't like the idea -- one, if the kid sucks it off, it could choke, and two, as someone who personally has reacted badly to adhesive, I'd feel horrible if I ever pulled off the skin on a doe's teat. And you don't really know if someone is going to have a bad reaction until after the fact. They do make a teat tape, but I don't know if that's any better/worse than anything you can buy at a drug store.