How to prevent and treat sheep mastitis? These methods are very practical

Sheep mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland, milk sinus, and teat locally, mostly seen in lactating goats and sheep, characterized by various types of inflammation in the mammary gland, with redness, swelling, heat, and pain in the udder, affecting lactation function and milk yield. Let's take a look at the prevention and treatment methods for sheep mastitis below!

Causes of sheep mastitis

Sheep mastitis is mostly seen when milking technique is unskilled, damaging the teat and mammary gland body, or when milking tools are unsanitary, causing bacterial infection of the udder. It can also be seen in the course of metritis, foot-and-mouth disease, tuberculosis, pyosepticemia, and other conditions.

Clinical symptoms of sheep mastitis

1. Acute mastitis: The affected mammary quarter is hot, enlarged, and painful, the udder lymph nodes are swollen, the milk becomes thin and mixed with flocculent or granular matter. In severe cases, the milk may be pale yellow watery or reddish watery viscous fluid. At the same time, varying degrees of systemic symptoms may appear, showing reduced or lost appetite, stagnation of rumen motility and rumination, body temperature as high as 41-42°C, accelerated breathing and heartbeat, and congested conjunctiva. In severe cases, the eyeballs sink and the animal is listless. Affected sheep have difficulty standing up and lying down, sometimes stand and are unwilling to lie down, sometimes the elevated body temperature persists for several days without subsiding, rapid emaciation occurs, and death often results from septicemia.

2. Chronic mastitis: Mostly caused by acute cases not being completely cured. Generally there are no systemic symptoms. The tissue of the affected mammary quarter has reduced elasticity and becomes hard. On palpation of the udder, hard lumps of varying sizes are found. The milk is thin and watery, milk yield is significantly reduced, and the milk is mixed with granular or flocculent clots.

Treatment methods for sheep mastitis

1. Gentamicin 80,000 units, or penicillin 400,000 units, distilled water 20 ml, can be injected twice through the teat using a teat canal needle, 2 times a day. Before injection, disinfect the teat with alcohol cotton balls and squeeze out the milk from the udder. After injection, massage the udder. Alternatively, penicillin 800,000 units and 0.5% procaine 40 ml can be injected at the base of the udder or between the udder and the abdominal wall using a blocking needle inserted 4-5 cm, injected in 3-4 portions, with blocking performed once every 2 days.

2. In the early stage of mastitis, cold compress can be used; in the middle and late stages, hot compress can be used. 10% ichthammol alcohol or 10% ichthammol ointment can also be applied externally. Except for purulent mastitis, udder massage can be combined before external application. For early-stage mastitis, dandelion 100 g can be used; for the middle stage, deer antler frost 40 g; for the late stage, safflower 10 g and deer antler frost 40 g. After decoction in water, administer orally in 2 divided doses.

3. For systemic infection with extreme udder swelling and high fever, antibiotics such as kanamycin, gentamicin, and penicillin should be used promptly for systemic treatment.

Preventive measures for sheep mastitis

1. Before each milking, wash the udder and teats with warm water, dry with a clean towel. After milking, soak or wipe the teats with 0.2-0.3% chloramine T solution or 0.05% benzalkonium bromide.

2. Improve the sanitary conditions of the sheep pen, remove dirt from the shed, keep the udder clean at all times. Sick sheep should be isolated and milked separately to prevent the spread of pathogens. Disinfect the shed regularly.

3. Do not stop milking too abruptly in late pregnancy. After stopping milking, inject antibiotics into each teat canal.

4. During the dry grass season, appropriately supplement feed. Avoid severe cold and direct sunlight exposure. Dairy sheep should be milked at regular times, generally 3 times a day is appropriate. When milk production is particularly high and the lambs cannot finish it, the remaining milk can be manually squeezed out and concentrate feed reduced.

5. If the udder is excessively swollen before parturition, reduce concentrate feed and succulent feed.