# Big Bag Swollen Utter



## texascornbread (Sep 19, 2004)

i just bought a 2 yr old jersey from a dairy.. she gives milk and is well tamed.. but here bag is very swollen and tight. no sign of blood in milk. i have 4 calfs on her now (jersey).the only thing is her bag is swollen and tight even after she is milked all the way out.the man i got her from said he fed her to good before she calfed.he called it over condtioned. she is fresh in now,she had a calf about 9 days ago. she acts ok,not sick feeling but he bag is like a ballon, hard tight and swollen even after milking.... what do i do..


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

Cows will get like this just before they freshen ... it's normal! 

But I'm concerned about the fact you say you have 4 calves on her, and she's due to calve in 9 days?!?! 

Cows really should be dried off for 30-60 days before calving ... gives their bodies a little break before the next lactation cycle!

Also, I recall reading that cows shouldn't be milked for a minimum of 14 days prior to calving, as it takes time for the colustrum to build up the right antibodies. There is definitely a difference even in the appearance of colostrum from a cow that has been dried off and one that hasn't! 

I am really not sure whether it would be better to dry her off now until she calves ... whether that would whack out her system too much! ... or just keep going until she calves. Perhaps someone with more experience can comment on this.

If she is "overconditioned" (fat) now, that is probably better than being skin and bones, but be aware that overconditioning increases her risk for a whole host of calving-related complications ... infection, ketosis, milk fever, etc. Might want to get some ketone test strips and calcium carbonate on hand, and bone up on the symptoms. (I have to wonder whether the guy who sold you this cow had a reason for wanting to cull her just before she calved. Hmmm! Did she have problems with her first delivery?!)

You may want to get some replacement colostrum to feed the calf, if you plan on keeping it. 

If the edema (swelling) in her udder continues postpartum, you can use Flu-Nix (equivalent to Banamine) to help reduce it. Uddermint (do a Google search) also is very good by stimulating blood flow to the area, reducing the accumulation of fluids.


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## texascornbread (Sep 19, 2004)

willow_girl said:


> Cows will get like this just before they freshen ... it's normal!
> 
> But I'm concerned about the fact you say you have 4 calves on her, and she's due to calve in 9 days?!?!
> 
> ...


TEXASCORNBREAD
she has had her calf already,about 9 days ago.. I have 4 calfs on her to keep her bag down, the milk is staying sucked out, but the bag (utter) is tight and swollen..


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

Sorry, I misunderstood your earlier post!  

That is edema ... fluid accumulation. Use Flu-Nix (I think you have to get it from your vet) or you can try Uddermint (Google it to find a distributor) although I'm not sure how that would work with the calves nursing on her. 

Or you can just keep an eye on her; it should go away by itself over time. Probably not real comfortable for her, though, eh?


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