Whenever a doe's udder has a different texture or temperature than normal, mastitis is the first thing that we all worry about. Today's topic has been one of the most requested from my listeners, so I know it's something we all worry about from time to time.

Dr. George McCommon, professor of veterinary science and public health at Fort Valley State University, joins us today to talk about the basics of mastitis, as well as his current research project.

We start with mastitis symptoms and how a hot, hard udder is not always present when a doe has mastitis. In fact, when a doe has gangrenous mastitis, her udder may actually be cold. We discuss the California Mastitis Test, better known as the CMT, and I got my question answered about when the reagent expires!

We discuss conventional antibiotic treatments, and we also talk about how probiotics might play a role in treating mastitis. That's the subject of Dr. McCommon's research right now, and they are still working on figuring out which probiotic strains work best.

In this episode, we also talk about one of my biggest mistakes as a goat owner. Years ago I thought a doe had hypocalcemia when in fact, she had gangrenous mastitis. To learn more about how those two things could get confused, check out our episode on hypocalcemia in goats.

See full show notes here >>  https://thriftyhomesteader.com/mastitis-in-goats/

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