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13
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
WORKING
TOGETHER
FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...
MAST I T I S FEATURE
Thanks to improvements in fertility, more cows
are now calving whilst still outdoors, thereby
avoiding the challenge from environmental
bacteria in bedding materials.
Key changes at Gays Farm
l
Reduced disease pressures from
straw yard
l
Calving pattern tighter so dry cows
calve outdoors
l
Use of a teat sealant
l
New-born calves prevented from
cross-suckling
Ruth explains: ‘Having good milk records
always makes it easier to identify the problem
and target it.
‘The dry period is often a key focus area.
Fortunately, relatively simple changes can
make a big difference - it’s not necessary to
put up a new dry cow shed! Instead, look for
the quick wins - look at the facilities - perhaps
find another shed for the cows to reduce
stocking pressure, use a teat sealant, and
improve bedding hygiene.’
Paul has been able to cull out some older high
cell count cows and now rolling cell counts
are around 100,000 cells/ml. The mastitis
incidence in freshly calved cows is now down
to around 1.5 cases per 12 cows.
When there’s a rise in mastitis
cases or cell counts, don’t get
fixated on the fact that it’s the
make or type of antibiotic that’s
at fault. It’s just one of many
factors that impact on mastitis
infection rates, and is often not
the cause of the problem.
Paul Warren’s parlour
Smooth teat end
Applying teat sealant
Judith Roberts
Zoetis UK Ltd
At the Robot Workshop held last April (see Livestock Matters’ summer issue), Zoetis’ Judith
Roberts presented the diagram below and told delegates that for the best success in controlling
mastitis, it is important to identify which types of bacteria are causing the infections so that
remedial actions can be targeted and effective. Knowledge of the incidence of clinical mastitis
infections in the herd, together with bulk milk somatic cell counts, also help guide investigations.
Establishing the causes of mastitis to bring
levels under control
For herds with a high incidence of clinical
infections but relatively low cell counts,
environmental pathogens are the likely cause
of mastitis cases [Box 1]. For herds in Box 3,
contagious pathogens are probably causing the
high cell counts, so control measures should be
targeted at the milking parlour and infected
animals. For herds which fall into Box 2, decide
where the priorities lie, before starting to make
changes. This characterisation provides a guide
to diagnosis. However, to determine exactly the
type of mastitis pathogens prevalent in a herd, it
is recommended that milk samples from clinical
mastitis and high cell count cows are taken and
sent for bacteriological analysis.
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2
4
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Ruth’s top tip!