Early Signs of Illness in Dairy Camels

By Dr Duncan Houston

A dairy camel may start eating less, become reluctant to stand for milking or produce less milk before she looks obviously unwell.

These changes matter to her health, her calf and the dairy. However, a smaller milk collection does not automatically mean disease. Changes in suckling, milking intervals and milk let-down can also affect what reaches the bucket.

The aim is to recognise a change early, work out what accompanies it and act before a small problem becomes a serious one.

Quick Answer

Early warning signs in dairy camels include an unexplained fall in milk yield, reduced appetite, altered milking behaviour, declining body condition, lameness and changes in droppings or breathing. Mastitis can be present even when the milk and udder look normal, so observation should be supported by appropriate milk testing. Check the camel, her calf and the milking routine together; seek veterinary advice the same day for a marked unexplained change, and immediately for collapse, severe pain or breathing difficulty.

Know what is normal for each camel

A herd average can hide an individual problem.

Keep a simple record of milk collected at each milking, days since calving, calf access, feed intake concerns, udder findings and treatments. Record unusual events such as transport, regrouping or a change of milker.

Compare the camel with her own recent performance under similar conditions. A gradual change late in lactation means something different from a sudden fall accompanied by poor appetite.

Milking interval itself affects milk yield and composition in dromedaries. Record the timing as well as the volume so an altered schedule is not mistaken for an unexplained health problem.

Is she producing less milk, or releasing less at milking?

Milk collection and total milk production are different measurements, particularly when a calf is also suckling.

Ask whether the calf had different access before milking, whether preparation was shortened or whether the camel was handled differently. Research in dromedaries shows that calf suckling and the milking method influence oxytocin release, which helps drive milk ejection.

Watch for a new reluctance to enter the milking area, repeated stepping or resistance to udder handling. Training and previous experience affect camels’ behaviour during machine milking, so management changes deserve attention.

However, do not label new resistance as stubbornness. Check for teat pain, udder disease, uncomfortable equipment and difficulty standing.

A repeated or substantial unexplained fall needs investigation, especially when appetite or behaviour also changes. Extra stimulation or oxytocin should not replace finding the cause; medication use belongs in a veterinary plan.

Mastitis can begin without visible changes

Mastitis means inflammation of the mammary gland, commonly associated with bacterial infection.

With clinical mastitis, you may notice abnormal milk or an uncomfortable udder. With subclinical mastitis, obvious changes can be absent despite inflammation within the gland. Studies in dairy camels have documented increased inflammatory cells in milk from affected quarters without visible signs.

That is why “the milk looks fine” cannot rule out an udder problem. Subclinical disease can affect milk yield and quality while escaping a quick visual check.

Routine surveillance is particularly useful when a camel has previous mastitis, recurring abnormal test results or a persistent change in yield.

What should you look for at the udder?

During safe, routine milking preparation, check each quarter and teat for a change from normal.

Look for swelling, increased heat, firmness, pain, teat damage or a newly uneven appearance. Examine the first streams of milk in a suitable strip cup or inspection container according to your dairy’s hygiene procedure.

Clots, flakes, blood or a watery, discoloured appearance require attention. Clinical and severe gangrenous mastitis have been reported in dromedaries, with painful swelling and abnormal milk. A rapidly worsening udder problem accompanied by weakness or marked dullness is an emergency.

Do not aggressively squeeze a painful quarter or insert anything into a teat. Mark the camel clearly, keep abnormal milk out of the sale supply and contact your vet.

How useful are cell counts and the California Mastitis Test?

Somatic cell count, or SCC, measures cells in milk, including immune cells. The California Mastitis Test, or CMT, gives a practical indication of increased cellular material through a change in the test mixture.

Both can support camel udder-health monitoring. Research has linked these inflammatory indicators with subclinical mastitis in camel milk. They do not identify the organism responsible.

Do not automatically apply a cattle SCC cut-off to camel milk. Camel studies have used different definitions and thresholds. Interpret results with your vet and laboratory, considering the sampling method, lactation stage, previous results and findings from individual quarters.

Electrical conductivity should also be interpreted cautiously. One camel study found SCC useful for distinguishing affected quarters, while conductivity performed poorly against its chosen mastitis reference test. A conductivity reading alone should not decide whether treatment is needed.

When infection is suspected, your vet may recommend aseptically collected quarter samples for culture and, where appropriate, susceptibility testing. Camel mastitis research has identified different pathogens and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, supporting investigation rather than repeatedly using the same antibiotic.

Bulk milk results do not tell you which camel is affected

Bulk tank monitoring is useful for tracking the dairy, but an acceptable pooled result does not clear every individual animal.

Cell counts and bacterial counts also answer different questions. A rise in bacterial count should prompt a review of collection hygiene, equipment cleaning, cooling and possible udder infection. Individual milk examination and testing may still be necessary.

Research at a large camel dairy assessed SCC and microbiological quality as separate measures, with variation related to production and lactation factors. Treat the results as complementary information.

Reduced appetite can be easier to miss than a missed milking

Watch actual consumption. Standing beside the feed is not proof that a camel has eaten her normal amount.

Notice shorter feeding periods, dropping feed, difficulty chewing or repeated visits without much intake. Observe rumination during appropriate resting periods, remembering that one brief observation without cud chewing proves very little. Feeding behaviour forms part of a basic camel health assessment.

Check feed availability and whether other animals are excluding her before assuming the ration itself is inadequate.

Do not respond to every milk drop by adding more concentrate. Pain, disease or poor access needs its own solution.

Follow body condition, not just milk volume

Use a recognised camel body condition assessment and keep comparable records over time. Progressive loss deserves investigation even if milk collection remains reasonable.

Look at the whole camel. The hump is a fat store, and its appearance contributes to assessment of energy reserves, but it cannot establish hydration or overall health on its own.

A camel losing condition may have inadequate intake, difficulty eating or underlying disease. Camel welfare protocols use body condition alongside other health and management observations.

Water and heat still matter in an animal built for dry conditions

Reliable access to clean water is essential. Check trough function, water quality, access and whether timid animals can drink comfortably.

Studies in lactating camels show that water restriction can reduce feed intake and milk production. Their ability to tolerate shortages should not become a reason to impose them on dairy animals.

During hot weather, check shade and resting conditions as well as the water supply. Lethargy, reduced appetite or reluctance to rise can accompany heat stress in camels. Breathing difficulty or collapse requires urgent veterinary help.

Check droppings, movement and breathing

Persistent diarrhoea, unusually scant droppings or a change in faecal consistency deserves attention. Abdominal pain or swelling together with reduced or absent faeces needs urgent assessment, because intestinal obstruction and impaction occur in camels.

Weight loss and diarrhoea can also accompany gastrointestinal parasites. Faecal testing helps guide investigation; neither sign proves that a drench is the answer.

Watch for shortened steps, uneven weight bearing, swollen joints, wounds or difficulty getting up. These are relevant health observations in camel welfare assessment. Painful standing can also make milking difficult.

Observe breathing at rest. Persistent cough, nasal discharge or increased effort warrants veterinary advice. In young camels, respiratory and intestinal illness may occur together, so do not overlook breathing in a calf with diarrhoea.

Give recently calved camels and their calves extra attention

After calving, monitor the dam’s appetite, comfort, udder, milk production and interaction with her calf.

A dull camel with poor appetite and foul-smelling discharge needs prompt veterinary assessment. Clinical metritis, an infection and inflammation of the uterus, has been documented in postpartum dromedaries with abnormal discharge, fever and other systemic changes. Discharge should be interpreted alongside the animal’s condition and stage after calving.

Watch the calf actually suckling. Repeated attempts without effective feeding, weakness or poor growth should trigger assessment of both animals.

Early colostrum intake matters. A newborn unable to stand or suck effectively needs urgent help. If udder disease or treatment changes the feeding arrangement, obtain a suitable calf-feeding plan from your vet.

How urgently should you act?

What you notice	What to consider	Action
One small milk variation with a bright, comfortable camel and an identifiable routine change	Milking interval, calf access or milk let-down	Check the routine and animal now; reassess later the same day
Repeated unexplained yield reduction or abnormal screening results	Udder inflammation, management or another health problem	Contact your vet promptly and arrange targeted checks
Abnormal milk, a painful quarter, marked yield loss, poor appetite or postpartum dullness	Clinical disease requiring assessment	Seek veterinary advice the same day
Collapse, inability to rise, severe breathing difficulty, severe abdominal pain or rapidly worsening udder disease with systemic illness	Potentially life-threatening disease	Call a vet immediately

Do not wait for the next scheduled milk test when the camel is visibly unwell.

What will your vet investigate?

Your vet will consider udder disease alongside feeding, water access, dental problems, lameness, digestive illness and reproductive problems. Regional infectious and parasitic diseases may also need consideration.

A problem affecting several camels together raises questions about shared feed, water, milking equipment, handling or infectious exposure. One affected camel still needs an individual examination.

The investigation may include milk culture, repeat quarter testing, blood tests, faecal testing or ultrasound, depending on the findings. Provide records and the timing of changes rather than relying on the latest milk volume alone.

When is this an emergency?

Arrange immediate veterinary help for:

• Collapse, inability to stand or rapid deterioration.

• Severe breathing difficulty.

• Severe abdominal pain or distension, particularly with little or no faecal output.

• Rapidly worsening udder swelling or pain accompanied by marked weakness or dullness.

• Seizures or severe loss of coordination.

• Severe bleeding, prolapse or serious difficulty during calving.

• A very weak newborn that cannot suck.

Keep the animal quiet and safely sheltered. Do not force a weak camel to walk or give oral fluids when swallowing is impaired. Use experienced handlers and suitable facilities.

What should you do next?

1. Identify and record the change. Note the camel, affected quarter if relevant, milk volumes, appetite and when signs began.

2. Check the camel and her calf. Assess behaviour, feeding, movement, udder appearance and actual suckling.

3. Review immediate management. Check water, feed, milking intervals, preparation, equipment and recent changes.

4. Protect the milk supply. Clearly identify abnormal or withheld milk and prevent accidental mixing.

5. Contact your vet and arrange samples as advised. Where feasible, collect diagnostic milk samples before antibiotics, but do not delay urgent treatment to obtain them.

6. Set a follow-up plan. Agree on expected improvement, repeat testing and what should trigger an immediate recheck.

Treatment needs a camel-specific milk plan

Use medicines under veterinary direction, with the correct product, dose, route and treatment duration.

Ask your vet to specify the applicable milk and meat withholding periods for the camel and treatment used. Record the final treatment time and when milk may return to supply. Do not borrow cattle instructions or assume that normal-looking milk is free of residues.

Normal appearance also does not guarantee freedom from disease-causing organisms. Follow the dairy’s food-safety controls and required processing; even excellent hygiene cannot ensure that raw drinking milk contains no dangerous pathogens.

Common mistakes

• Calling a camel stubborn when standing or udder handling has become painful.

• Assuming normal-looking milk rules out mastitis.

• Treating a single screening result as a complete diagnosis.

• Increasing feed or using milk let-down medication before investigating the change.

• Forgetting that the calf’s intake affects milk collection.

• Returning milk to supply before the prescribed withholding period has finished.

Build prevention into every milking

Use calm, consistent handling and a predictable preparation routine. Have equipment suitability and function checked, including anything that could cause teat discomfort.

Keep resting areas clean and dry, maintain good hand and equipment hygiene, and use an appropriate teat-care programme agreed with your vet. Address teat injuries promptly. Camel research has associated teat and udder skin lesions with increased mastitis risk.

Combine daily observation with planned milk surveillance, body condition checks and calf monitoring. Review new-arrival biosecurity, parasite control and locally appropriate vaccination with your vet.

Frequently asked questions

Can a dairy camel have mastitis without clots in her milk?

Yes. Subclinical mastitis can occur without visible changes in the milk or udder. Screening and targeted testing help detect it.

Does every drop in milk yield mean she is sick?

No. Calf suckling, milking intervals and milk ejection affect collection. A persistent unexplained decline, particularly with other changes, needs investigation.

What is the correct somatic cell count for camel milk?

A cattle SCC threshold should not be assumed to apply to camel milk. Your vet and laboratory should interpret the result alongside previous counts, quarter assessment and culture where indicated.

Will milk production return after treatment?

It depends on the cause, duration and degree of damage. Correcting a management problem may produce a different recovery from treating significant udder disease. Follow the individual camel’s progress and agree on realistic expectations with your vet.

A change in milk production is a useful prompt to look more closely. Combine it with what the camel is eating, how she moves, how her udder feels and how her calf is doing.

ASK A VET™ provides practical information to help you understand changes in your animals’ health and prepare useful questions for your treating veterinarian. If a dairy camel is distressed or deteriorating, contact your local vet immediately.