Dr. George F.W. Haenlein
Extension Dairy Specialist
University of Delaware
Why talk about mastitis? It’s
nothing new. It’s been around as
long as we’ve been milking cows -
even when they were milked by
hand. Machine milking has been
blamed by some people for
mastitis cases, sometimes with
justification. But the problem
predates the milking machine and
occurs regardless of the brand of
equipment or procedure used.
Mastitis occurs in other species -
- sheep, goats, sows, mares and
even humans. Over the years, it’s
been treated in many ways. Yet
despite all efforts, the problem is
still with us, in every U.S. dairy
herd as well as in those of other
countries.
Antibiotics are our most potent
weapon against mastitis. We’ve
been using them for almost 40
years now, and still we have
mastitis - chronic or acute or both,
without )et-up.
Are we wasting our time on
present treatments? Are we
pursuing the wrong priorities when
we wait until the clinical stage to
appear during lactation and then
treat? Certainly, recent FDA
regulations have added a new
perspective to our efforts to cure
mastitis. These regulations say:
IF YOU TREAT,
DON’T SHIP!
IF YOU SHIP
DON’T TREAT!
In other words, we must guard
against treatment residues in milk
and meat. These residues are not
allowed to enter the market. The
milk of treated cows must be
discarded for 3 days at least, and
carcasses of treated cows can’t be
sold for meat unless the animals
were slaughtered at least 30 days
after the last treatment So, if a
cow may be a cull candidate
anyhow and is on the stand-by list
for shipment, the FDA says, DO
NOT TREAT, even if she has
mastitis. Instead, ship her right
away, while you can still get
money for the meat.
By shipping residue-free cows,
you’re protecting future meat
sales. You’re also not wasting
money on treatments which may
have dubious results, and you’re
culling animals with a possible
disposition toward mastitis - the
most costly disease in dairying
today. In the process, you may
I Monmouth County Park - 1
System's
I Ist ANNUAL I
I OPEN PONY I
| PULLING |
CONTEST
I SATURDAY, |
I JULY 28. 1984 I
' 3:00 p.m. j
at the 10th ANNUAL <
I MONMOUTH I
I COUNTY FAIR I
I East Freehold Park, I
I Showgrounds, I
Freehold, NJ
'Stratton*
R
registrations and j
weigh-ins 12 noon - 2 pm |
on a portable scale on i
fairgrounds i
1,300 lbs. and under ■
Judge & Weigh Master; |
Harry Swift
j Announcer- j
| Tom LaMarca |
| NO ENTRY FEE |
( PURSE PRIZES |
I for more Info call |
■ 201-946-3798 i
j 201-946-7270 1
£ ovanlng* 201-439-3649 j
Mastitis - Sort out the priorities
even be selecting genetically
against mastitis.
In other words, instead of in
vesting in a battery of stand-by
treatments for mastitis after it
develops clinically in lactating
cows, maybe it’s time to tackle this
disease from some other angles.
By now, dairy producers know
plenty about mastitis from all the
research and publications
reaching our farms every day. We
Renowned for its dairy and livestock production, Lancaster
County is also the hub of modern scarecrow technology as
evidenced by these two state-of-the-art examples to be found
along Route 896 south of Strasburg.
Patrolling one truck patch, the scariest of scarecrows
brandishes her long gun to keep birds at bay. A close look at
her right shoulder, however, reveals that not all avian free
loaders are easily impressed.
know the names of the most Mastitis treatment failures
prevalent microorganisms which usually are due to one or more of
cause mastitis. And we know that the following causes:
when we culture milk samples, * Using the wrong antibiotic.
we’re going to find many * Waiting too long before
pathogens, like E. coli, which treatment.
penicillin won’t kill. * Using too low a dosage.
Yet, without culturing milk * Stopping treatment too soon,
samples, we can’t be at all sure * The presence of
we’re using the right antibiotic, microorganisms resistant to
We’re only guessing - shooting in treatment,
the dark. • Failure of treatment to reach
Hoe, hoe, hoe, Dave!
anwhile, just a short jog up the road, a more traditionally
tracked "woman behind the man" makes sure that Dave
keeps the weeds at bay in the onion patch.
Clearly no laughing matter.
yUC QAM Red Rose buildings are designed
AJiiwr by ,icensed professional engineers
SOLVE to P rovide y°u with maximum
ID useable space. Our buildings are also
TUUK your assurance of maintenance-free
Dl 111 MUA dependability - year after year - because
BUILUINb Red Rose Building Systems means the best
■uykKi p||A m materials and workmanship Get in
Pmjpl touch with the area's leading farm and
- commercial builder
o?h p,ease contact me with
/% RED ;7 1 7* Additional Intormation
/ ” POSE 738-4248 Name _
f Address
BUILDING SYSTEMS
I Zip Phono (Area Cooe) _ _ _
Roofing & Siding rolled by McElroy Metal Mill Mail to RED ROSE BUILDING SYSTEMS, INC
(Weatherstrong Aluminum Max Rib Steel) PO Box 56 Ephrata PA 17522
the walled-off site of infection.
* Chronic cases with poor
recovery chances.
* Dirty cows which quickly
become reinfected.
* Wet udders during milking
which easily transmit infection.
* Careless or inexperienced
milking procedures.
We also know from research that
three-fourths of all mastitis cases,
(Turn to Page C 3)
County
Town
State