Posted by Rebekah on May 28, 2014 at 1:24pm in Health
Anyone used the portacheck brand test? I can't seem to figure out how to use the cmt test accurately, but maybe I'm just a bit dim. I have had milk the past couple days that is very slow to filter and seems to be gunking up the filter.... It makes me suspect high somatic cell count & I'd like a test that's more accurate to goats. Otherwise should I contact the vet for a lab test?
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Yes, I'm very much looking forward to a test that is designed for one measured drop of goat milk... the whole point of testing is to know for sure! After doing some more research and talking with some other folks, I'm pretty sure that she does have high SCC - and i just realized that my iPad was changed scc to ssc every time I typed it, so oops! - but that she doesn't have any infection. The "meaty" mammary tissue is likely just breaking up and leaving somatic cells in the udder that are coming out with the milk. Weird, and kind of gross, but at least it's not infection and at least it looks like she is going to have a symmetrical texture to both her udder halves after all. It also seems like the filter is catching most, if not all, of it. ...So much to learn and so many strange little circumstances that you just can't study or plan ahead for. Ha! ;)
I agree. I've heard more people say something like, "Well, I really can't tell if it got thicker or not..." I don't want to be having that happen to me when I'm already wondering if there's really something wrong, or it's nothing, and what to do about it. lol! I can so relate to your OCD comment. :)
I'm not sure about the "meaty" udder situation. I don't think it's too much grain, because the first thing that would happen if that was it would most likely be clumpy, soft poop. At least, that's what happens here when a doe gets too much grain too quickly. There is something people call udder edema, and I can see that maybe being a possibility if she was taken from her kids and you were learning to milk her, and she was early in her lactation. I have a doe who has had that at the beginning of her lactation. However, her udder was still even and the edema was affecting both sides. The udder looked dimpled and lumpy, and was affected even when milked out. It was a bit difficult to know if she was milked out, and may have been harder to actually milk out.
Thanks, Patty! I'm going to order one today... I didn't even know they existed until last night. I had ordered a cmt test when we were prepping for the arrival of our does, as that was what I had seen and heard recommended. Now that I've tried it I feel like it was a pretty worthless purchase; Maybe it works for some people, but it seems way too prone to operator error for my brain to handle ;)
Also, and this may be a silly question, could a "meaty" udder half that is softening and resolving be a cause of high ssc without any infection? This doe -mini nubian- came to us as a first freshener in milk and her left udder half felt "meaty" (as described by my friend who is much more goat experienced than we are); over the past couple weeks she has been softening on that side and now feels pretty close to the same as her right side. Could the softening be causing higher ssc from the mammary tissue loosening up and changing? It just occurred to me that the cells from that tough tissue must be going somewhere (either being reabsorbed by her body and or sloughing off into her udder). For the time being I am massaging with an herbal mastitis salve and giving an herbal tincture. She seems healthy, the only issue I'm seeing is milk that won't filter properly (and maybe one or two tiny globules on the strip cup - they are so tiny and clear(ish) and then they disappear through the screen, I'm still not sure they are even globules rather than possibly just tiny bubbles).
Other than those things, the only other thing I can think of is that maybe she is eating too much grain because she is a vacuum cleaner on the stand... I'm milking her out in less than 10 minutes, but she cleans out a full feed pan in that time.
I am beginning to wonder if I may be too OCD to keep goats... I'm driving myself a bit insane with the learning curve!
I use the portacheck SCC test. It's very fool proof, IMO. I like it much better than the CMT. Totally recommend it. Uses one drop of milk and takes 45 minutes to develop before you read the results. Wishing you the best! :)
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I agree. I've heard more people say something like, "Well, I really can't tell if it got thicker or not..." I don't want to be having that happen to me when I'm already wondering if there's really something wrong, or it's nothing, and what to do about it. lol! I can so relate to your OCD comment. :)
I'm not sure about the "meaty" udder situation. I don't think it's too much grain, because the first thing that would happen if that was it would most likely be clumpy, soft poop. At least, that's what happens here when a doe gets too much grain too quickly. There is something people call udder edema, and I can see that maybe being a possibility if she was taken from her kids and you were learning to milk her, and she was early in her lactation. I have a doe who has had that at the beginning of her lactation. However, her udder was still even and the edema was affecting both sides. The udder looked dimpled and lumpy, and was affected even when milked out. It was a bit difficult to know if she was milked out, and may have been harder to actually milk out.
Other than those things, the only other thing I can think of is that maybe she is eating too much grain because she is a vacuum cleaner on the stand... I'm milking her out in less than 10 minutes, but she cleans out a full feed pan in that time.
I am beginning to wonder if I may be too OCD to keep goats... I'm driving myself a bit insane with the learning curve!
I use the portacheck SCC test. It's very fool proof, IMO. I like it much better than the CMT. Totally recommend it. Uses one drop of milk and takes 45 minutes to develop before you read the results. Wishing you the best! :)