Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
A health program for commercial dairy herds. 4. Changes in mastitis prevalence.
- Journal:
- Australian veterinary journal
- Year:
- 1978
- Authors:
- Morris, R S et al.
Plain-English summary
A study looked at how a health program affected the occurrence of mastitis, an infection of the udder, in 10 dairy herds over up to 10 years. The program included practices like dipping the teats in disinfectants, keeping milking machines well-maintained, and treating infected quarters before the cows were dried off. These measures led to a decrease in the number of cows with mastitis and the need to dispose of cows due to this condition. However, farmers sometimes lost interest in teat dipping, often because it caused irritation to the teats. Overall, the program was effective in reducing mastitis, especially when farmers were reminded of its importance.
Abstract
A study of mastitis prevalence in 10 herds which participated in a herd health program is reported for varying periods, up to a maximum of 10 years. The program was based on teat dipping with idophor or sodium hypochlorite teat dip, regular maintenance of the milking machine, and selective dry period treatment of quarters which were classified as infected on the basis of California Mastitis Test score and bacteriological examination of milk samples taken before drying off. The procedures reduced mastitis prevalence (measured in cows being dried off), incidence of clinical mastitis, and disposal of cows due to mastitis. Results obtained were similar to those found in short-term studies of control programs based on teat dipping and dry period therapy. The only significant difficulty which arose in maintaining the control program over 10 years was loss of enthusiasm by farmers for teat dipping. This was usually induced by teat irritation problems apparently caused by teat dipping. The use of a monitoring procedure for mastitis prevalence was important in persuading farmers to return to the use of teat dip.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/687287/