D22—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 8,1984
Focus
NEWARK, Del. - There’s nothing
new about mastitis. It’s been
around as long as people have been
milking cows - even before the
invention of the milking machine.
This piece of equipment has been
blamed by some for mastitis -
sometimes with justification. But,
says University of Delaware ex
tension dairy specialist - George
Haenlein, the problem predates
the milking machine and occurs
regardless of the brand 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, it’s still a major
problem m every U.S. dairy herd
as well as in those of other coun
tries.
“Antibiotics are our most potent
weapon against mastitis,” says
Haenlein. But producers have been
using them for almost 40 years
now, with no letup in either chronic
or acute cases.
Are dairy farmers wasting their
time - and money - when they
follow the present practice of
waiting to treat until the clinical
stage appears during lactation?
It’s certainly a possibility worth
considering, the specialist says,
particularly in light of recent FDA
regulations regarding treated
milk. These regulations say:
IF YOU TREAT,
DON’T SHIP!
IF YOU SHIP,
DON’T TREAT!
“In other words,” says Haenlein,
“producers 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 three 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 can
didate anyhow and is on the
standby list for shipment, the FDA
is telling us, DO NOT TREAT,
even if she has mastitis. Instead,
ship her right away, while you can
stiU sell the meat.”
By shipping residue-free cows,
producers are protecting future
meat sales. They’re also saving
money by avoiding treatments
which may have dubious results,
it ’ v
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mastitis control on subclinical cases in dry cows
and they’re culling animals with a
possible disposition toward
mastitis - the most costly disease
in dairying today. In the process,
says Haenlein, they may even be
selecting genetically against
mastitis.
Instead of investing in a battery
of rescue treatments for mastitis
after it develops clinically in
lactating cows, he suggests dairy
farmers start tackling this disease
from some other angles.
“By now,” he says, “you know
plenty about mastitis from all the
reports and articles you’ve read
about it in the publications that
reach your farm every day. You
know the names of the most
prevalent microorganisms which
cause it. And you know that when
milk samples are cultured, there
are going to be many pathogens,
like E. coli, which penicillin won’t
kill.
“And yet,” he continues,
“without culturing these samplles,
we can’t be at all sure we’re using
the right antibiotic. We’re only
guessing - shooting in the dark.”
According to Haenlein, mastitis
treatment failures usually are due
to one or more of the following
causes:
* Using the wrong antibiotic.
• Waiting too long before
treatment.
* Using too low a dosage.
* Stopping treatment too soon.
* The presence of
microorganisns resistant to
treatment.
* Failure of treatment to reach
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.
Research shows that three
fourths of all mastitis cases start
not at the beginning of lactation,
but during the dry period. Eighty
percent of all clinical cases are
preceded by subclinical infections
detectable through elevated
somatic cell levels.
Based on this information,
Haenlein thinks it’s time dairy
farmers focused their control
efforts on treatment of subclinical
mastitis in dry cows.
BRUNING
“Of course,” he says, “we must
start with clean cows, get rid of
muddy barnyards, milk only dry
udders and handle milking
machines properly - with the right
level of vacuum, without vacuum
fluctuations, overmilking, rough
take-off, and backflushing to
prevent possible disease transfers
between quarters and between
cows. Even the most sophisticated
equipment won’t protect cows
under these conditions.”
But aside from correcting such
problems, he says it would be best
to attack mastitis at the subclinical
level.
“Dry cow treatments have at
least twice the cure rate as those
for lactating cows,” Haenlein says.
“And no milk is wasted. What’s
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For every mastitis case m a
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subclinical cases. In order to
combat these subclinical cases,
trouble-causing cows must be
identified. Routine milk testing
will frequently do this, the
specialist says.
Two testing procedures are
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Cows can also be tested monthly
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Research has shown that in
creased somatic cell levels in the
milk mean the presence of sub
clinical mastitis in the udder and
milk already being lost. These
tests allow producers to identify
problem cows early, before they
become clinical cases, so animals
can either be treated promptly or
culled.
“Most state DHIA organizations
now offer routine somatic cell
testing,” Haenlein concludes. “If
the one you belong to doesn’t, it’s
time to gear up testing equipment
to provide this vital test.”
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