Understanding Mastitis: From Perspective of Inflammation

What novel strategies are you talking about? We live in the Dominian Republic and have a large herd of dairy goats under intensive management. First time lactation does will sometimes show inflamation as the only symptom. CMT prove negative. We use fresh garlic 2-3 cloves per day for 20-30 days and 1000 mg tablets of Vitamin E twice a day for 10-20 days. We also use massage with menthol/ketoprofen ointments. Can you add something natural to this treatment?

Well thanks for raising a pertinent question on Mastitis. We were referring to a natural solution with proven phytochemicals which has specific properties like anti-inflammatory and local anaesthetic properties. A product named Wisprec Spray from the pioneer company, Natural Remedies in India has shown promising results in treatment of udder inflammation. Wisprec has highly potent Phytochemicals which reduces inflammation and relieves the animal of pain by topical application on inflamed udder. If the inflammation is brought under control, 80% of the problem is solved. I would suggest you to try out Wisprec as a natural alternative therapy to control mastitis in your goats.

Dear Dr Ahmed, You have written an excellent article describing very succinctly the main processes and have condensed the problem areas needing attention very clearly. I do however feel that what you are offering is just more of the same. Here I refer to substituting Ayruvedic phytochemicals in place of conventional pharmaceuticals. My question now is what are the milk withdrawal times for your treatments?

Dear Norman, Thanks for going through my article. Since, it is a topical application and wouldn't absorb into the body, Wisprec doesn't have any Withdrawal time which is the best part vis-a-vis conventional treatments. There is no need of milk withdrawl when you use this product.

Mastitis is an inflammatory response against physiological and metabolic changes in mammary tissues, trauma and microorganisms. Subclinical mastitis is more significant due to its prevalence and economic losses because of the decrease in milk yield compared to clinical mastitis .Cow mastitis curative treatment effect is short-lived, if not resolved the most important causes of the disease and its determinants. Important for the prevention of mastitis: treating and recording all clinical cases; dipping teats in disinfectant after every milking; dry cows therapy at the end of lactation; culling chronic mastitis cases; regular milking machine maintenance and other.

I would like to test the citrate theory on my dairy goats but I live in the Dominican Republic and don't know where the Citrate can be purchased or if it is possible to make it?

We've done some work with several dairy goat clients and there are challenges. Mostly related to the numbers invovled and practicality of mixing and dosing. Depending on availity of product, how many goats you're milking and subsequently needing to support, the severity of the issue you're dealing with and availability of other mastitis support options, you and or your staff will either embrace the citrate option or not. None of our goat clients appear inclined to continue but the smallest herd size is over 500 with largest over 1000. As to where to source the citrate from, I'd suggest talking to local chemical importers as this is a common food additive.

Can it not be mixed as a drench and applied to individual goats. I'm about 125 does but am expanding to 185 next year. Is this citrate the same as is available to better Vit. C compounds?

we wish to inform that the usage of citrate oral & IV routes with external application of marry gold powder base ointment + suppport therophy with hoemomedicne is found to be efffective

Thank you.

Linda, yes you can mix it up and use it as an individual drench but that is the challenge with bigger operations - the time requried became a blockage compared with other treatment options, I would expect unless you have a very high incidence that this could be a useful supplement to test. The oral form is the only one we deal with at present because of our national veterinary medicine legislation requirements for an intravenous product here art onorous. You may also have restrictions where you are although possibly they may be more lax also. I'd love to try the IV route for those cases not responding so well to oral support. The citrate is not linked to or synonymous with vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and ruminants can manufacture their own vitamin C. That is not what is being provided with this compound.

I would really like to try it but I don't know where to find it here in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The only citrate they know about is is what is used in Vit C supplements. I have 125 goats (Alpine/Saanan) to kid between February and May 2015. The first time fresheners sometimes freshen with engorged udders or shortly after kidding (3-5 days) show the inflamation that you are talking about. If I could get the citrate, I could follow your instructions, giving it as an oral drench, and send you the results if that would be of any help.

Yes this is a wonderful idea.I tried with mono sodium citrate @32 grams/cow with clinical signs of mastitis and found excellent results.I mixed it mineral pre-mix while dosing and result was very positive.You can try this way.In goats you can give 6 grams. Best wishes

Dr.Punniamoorthy E-mail ID is murthyvcri@hotmail.com He has used an ethno-veterinary practice of a paste to the affected udder quarter in mastitis in cattle which could reduce the pain, swelling and inflammation. It is as good as Diclofenac sodium injection The paste is made by taking 2 matured aloe vera leaves (weighing approximatel 300 grams) made in to pieces to which 50 grams of Turmeric (Curcuma longa) powder or fresh rhizome pieces are added and 10 grams of Calcium hydroxide paste all are well mixed and triturated and applied every hourly. Few veterinarains added 10 to 15ml of Lemon juice (Citrus lemona) to the above paste.

The experience of the veterinarians of Bangalore milk union is as follows for teat fibrosis. It was an experiment done in the bigining now farmers know the tretament. FULL HAND MILKING AVOIDS THIS. The information was given by Dr.Pachagonkar Assistant Director of Animal Husbandry Maharastra State Homoeo drug Thiosinaminum 6 and Aurum Muriaticum Natronatum30 (AMNN) each 15 pills (30 size) 3 times a day till the fibrosis disappears. If any straining is noticed after giving these medIcines only Thiosiminum was given. AMNN was withdrawn. A veterinarian from North India suggested to use Conium30 and Calacrai flour30 (both homoeo) This also gave good results. Response is seen between 10 to 20 days. In this milk union combing all four above homoeo drugs gave best results. If there is any injury at the teat pore then Gun powder 6 was also used. All homoeo medcines were admnistered orally by introdcing between the teeth and the skin covering there. Highly fibrosed cases need only surgical intervention and avoid using Columbus teat plug by using that the teat pore widened more and such animals had more chances of mastitis.

Hello Linda, I hope you have responded to my request of reading our article as stated in my write-up above. We have tested Trisodium citrate in cows,buffaloes, goats sheep having clinical/subclinical/chronic mastitis and also as a preventative in cows and buffaloes very successfully. First of all you should confirm the diagnosis of mastitis.This can be done by noting the pH of the milk/any secretion from the teat. The pH can be noted by standard pH graded paper strips available from some chemical dealers. Then you can follow the following regimen in your goats: 1. For prevention: At parturition you can give five gramms of Trisodium citrate dissolved in 50ml of water as a drench, daily for 2-3 days before the expected date of kidding. 2. For clinical/chronic mastitis give 5 gms as above daily for 3-5 days. 3. You can also use it as 5% I/V @ 20ml 0n day first and followed by 5 gms for 2-3 days thereafter. For any other information pl do write to me. Jasmer singh Ph D

Thank you Dr. Singh for sending me this very important information. Where can I find Trisodium Citrate?

Hi Linda, You will get this from " Amazon.com:Sodium Citrate-TriSodium Citrate Dihydrate-Food Grade Granular". It is available in different packs as: 1lb, 5lb,25lb,50lb. When you get it please convey to me so that we can proceed further for recording the data regarding pH and citrate content in milk before and after parturition and during lactation. These observations shall be very useful for you to deal with this problem in future. Jasmer singh Ph D