Dr.iCow’s Diary
Date: 04.02.2020
Dear Dr.iCow,
Please I want to know the cure for mastitis.
From: Teresia, County: Machakos, Kenya.
Discussion:
The cow is suffering from mastitis which keep recurring even after treatment with injections and intra-mammary antibiotic infusions.
Dear Teresia,
Mastitis can be classified according to clinical symptoms or depending on mode of transmission. Under clinical there is; clinical, subclinical, per-acute, acute, sub-acute or chronic mastitis, and under mode of transmission are; contagious and environmental mastitis. This is a case of recurrent mastitis and the vet could take a milk sample from the cow and submit it to veterinary investigation laboratory-VIL for analysis, culture and sensitivity tests so as to give the cow proper treatment.
The infected cow should be milked last as she is a potential source of infection to healthy cows. Please implement an effective mastitis control program which should have an economic advantage, be understood by yourself and the herdsman, and integrate it with your dairy farm management and the program should aim at reducing the occurrence of clinical mastitis. Please liaise with the vet doctor. The following is effective in the control of all and recurring mastitis like the one the cow is having; – pre dipping and post dipping of the teats with an udder wash and teat dip iodophore containing solution e.g. CKL-Mastrite, single towel use per cow, cleaning of the zero-grazing unit, shed, milking parlour and equipment using a disinfectant. This can help to eradicate the mastitis causing microorganisms. Good hygiene is a must.
Mastitis is inflammation of the mammary gland and causative agents can be contagious, spread from cow to cow, or environmental from dirty or wet conditions in the cow’s area of stay like zero-grazing unit. In clinical mastitis infection signs like udder redness and swelling can be seen. In some cases of severe mastitis the skin of the udder and teats may peel off, the udder is painful, feels hot, hard, and redness in appearance. The milk may appear watery, there will be flakes, clots or pus in the milk.
There will be reduced milk yield, un-wellness and reduction in movement, lack of appetite, sunken eyes, dirrhoea and dehydration, in some cases teat lesions can be mild or severe. Conditions affecting a dairy cow’s udder and teats cause reduction in milk production. In case of such conditions, a vet should be consulted immediately.
In subclinical mastitis infections there are no changes in the milk and the udder and it is difficult to detect. Subclinical mastitis reduces milk production, decreases milk quality and suppresses reproductive performance. The cost of subclinical mastitis is higher than that of clinical mastitis.
Mastitis is the most expensive disease in the dairy industry: – in loss of milk production, – culling of infected cows and their replacement, – vet consultation and drugs costs and special care for infected cows. The disease can be controlled by high level of sanitary and hygienic standards in cows’ staying area like a zero-grazing unit and milking shed, clean environment and observance of proper milking procedure and isolation of infected cows.
Thank you
From your friend and advisor,
Dr.iCow