Best practice guidelines for a trouble-free start to the season would include:
- Culling chronic mastitis offenders, cows with ongoing high somatic cell counts and those with suspect udder conformation
- Using dry-cow therapy appropriately in cows you are retaining
- Dealing effectively with dry period infections
- TeatsealingTM heifers
- Checking and fully servicing the milking plant, as well as acting on all recommendations
- Reviewing milk quality control policies and practices with all farm personnel
Further:
- Springing cows fed generously, and not calved down on effluent paddocks or muddy breaks
- Fresh cows come into the shed for complete milking out within 12 hours of calving
- Colostrum cows managed as a separate mob with milk inspected at least daily
- Milk from all quarters of all colostrum cows screened for suitability to enter the vat
- Once in the milking herd, vigilance is exercised at all levels to detect and act on any signs of infection
In spite of best efforts, mastitis remains a reality of milking cows. While wet weather will conspire to increase the risk, the extent of mastitis is often a function of how thoroughly the above principles are applied.
So what is ‘best practice treatment' for clinical mastitis?
It is unrealistic to expect to ‘cure' all infected quarters, but you can shift the odds in favour of a positive outcome:
- Know your enemy - collect sterile milk samples from the first 10-20 clinical cases of the season, before treatment, for bacterial culture
- Detect clinicals EARLY - ‘if you do not look, you will not find!'
- Treat aggressively - NZ studies have established that more than 60% of mastitis over calving is due to Strep uberis. Unless milk culture results indicate otherwise, penicillin or its derivatives represents the best therapeutic approach
- As a minimum, administer 3 tubes of selected product per quarter at stated infusion interval (usually 12 hours)
- Be prepared to treat difficult infections for longer (6 tubes) provided progress is being made, but prolong milk withholding period on label and/or seek veterinary advice
- Use appropriate intramuscular drugs if more than one quarter is infected, especially in heifers and young cows, or where cow is sick due to mastitis
- Milk out infected quarter(s) completely, TWICE daily
- Use oxytocin to assist milk letdown and emptying of a swollen gland
- In the event of a poor response to initial treatment, develop a 2nd line treatment contingency in consultation with your veterinarian
Whenever dealing with clinical infections, be aware of the high risk of spread to ‘clean' cows. To minimise this:
- Milk infected cows separately and last - this applies especially if run with colostrum cows
- Decide on a management system and an identification system for treated cows to avoid mishaps that could result in costly inhibitory substance grades or having to dump precious milk
- Mix teat spray fresh daily at the HIGH mastitis risk rate, adding extra emollient at up to 15%
Record all details:
Review alongside herd test and other data to highlight:
- Patterns of infection - by age, by days in milk
- Completeness of cure
- Future options for treatment and control
Mastitis can be mastered! Dealing with early-season mastitis in a rational way will limit the short and long-term effects on the health, welfare and productivity of the herd.
At Totally Vets, we have the resources and the expertise to help. Talk to us today as an essential part of a strategy to ensure a high quality food product leaves your farm everyday.
