MASTITIS IN CATTLE ---O.Semu4

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Station Bulletin 545 October 1954

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S eoge'u- - - IN Here are answers to 28 questions about controlling mastitis in dairy cattle

Veterinarian, Deportment of Veterinary Medicine

CONTINUES tobethe Q.What causes mastitis? MASTITISforemost problem in dairying. A. are usually the cause. Mastitis (garget, caked udder) reducesInjuries, such as bruises,cuts, and the value of the best cow tosores, aid the entrance of the infective carcass value. Itis your problem tobacteria. Poor management and care- reduce losses by proper prevention andless milking methods may add to oc- control measures. currence. Q. What is mastitis? Q. What bacteria cause mastitis? A. Mastitis is an of A. Most mastitis is a direct result of the udder. It usually is caused by in-streptococcal or staphylococcal infec- fective bacteria. tion but many other types of organisms Q. How seriously is productionoccasionally cause udder . The affected by mastitis? infective bacteria usually are present in A. Conservative estimates place na- theudderunnoticedfordaysto tional milk losses above 20 per cent.months, but symptoms appear when Exact figures are not available becauseconditions occur that reduce resistance of the complexity of the problem. Inin the cow's udder. the individual cow, production may be Q.Are all cases of mastitis de- reduced or completely lost temporarilytected immediately? or permanently in one or more quar- ters. This is repeated in every affected A. No. The infection may be chron- animal in the herd. In many herds ic,causinglittleor no swelling or mastitishas made dairy productionpain, and little or no change in the economically unsound. milk. Examination of milk samples during the dormant stage detects in- Q. Is mastitis contagious? fection. The dormant stage is a good A. Yes. Chronic cases as well astime to treat. This chronic condition acute cases spread organisms that aremay become active at any time. Flakes, infective to other teats of the same cowslugs, and other changes in appearance or to other cows. The organisms areof the milk, as well as off flavor and commonly carried on the hands of thesometimes a peculiar odor, are char- milkers, especially if wet milking isacteristics of mastitis milk. Milk pro- permitted, and by the teat cups ofduction usually is reduced or stopped milking machines. completely. Acute cases cause redness

3 of the teats and udder, swelling, fever, Udder swollen, red, and hot. and pain. The condition may remain Cow sick and off feed. local in the udder, or the cow may be- Udder may become blue, cold, necrotic come sick generally, with serious in- and slough off, and cow may die. volvements,evenlossof udder or High bacteria count. death of the animal. Q. What is the best milking pro- Q. What are some mastitis symp-cedure? toms? A. The question of "hand milking A. Listed below are some of thevs. machine milking" has been replaced most frequent symptoms. Any or all ofby "What isthe best type of ma- these conditions may indicate mastitischine ?" Let's discuss briefly some of in a herd: the normal physiology and anatomy Blind quarters and meaty udders. associated with milking, to point out Lumps in udders. the possible disturbances that can be Lumps, flakes,strings, and whey inprevented. strip cup. Difficulty in straining milk. One minute of udder manipulation End of teat sore or sealed over. and massage while washing, wiping, Sore or swollen teat causing milkingand strip-cuptesting stimulatesthe to be painful to the cow. release of the hormone oxytocin from Milk reduced in amount and changed theposteriorlobe ofthepituitary in odor, flavor, and appearance. gland. Oxytocin stimulates the milk

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The first indication of mastitis is often a change in a cow's good behavior due to teat and udder pain. 4 glands to contract, forcing the milkLess spectacular wounds oftenare they havestored toward theteats. accompanied withexcessivephysio- Oxytocin acts when the cow iscon- logicalchangesofthe surrounding tented. Any acute disturbance such as tissue and a rapid acute case of mastitis annoyance, pain, or fright stimulatesdevelops. Never minimize a teat or the flow of another hormone, adrena-udder injury, since it often aggravates line, by the adrenal glands. Adrenalinea hidden infection into a mastitis flare- prevents the oxytotic effect and thusup. It is best to introduce the milk is"held up" by no wilfulinto the injured quarters immediately control of the cow. Milking should taketo prevent common mastitis develop- complete advantage of this hormonements. Milking machine injuries are activitybeginning withinaminutediscussed under milking procedure (p. afterthe thorough stimulation, and4). finishing within 7 minutes thereafter. Vacuum of the machine should not Q. What conditions may cause a exceed 15 pounds, but good milkingsudden outbreak? canbedoneatalower vacuum. Vacuum forthe machine and unit A. Milkingchangessuchasa should be adjusted properly atin- change of milkers is the history fre- stallation and tested regularly but notquently accompanying flareups. Ad- tampered with by the milker. Rapidverse weather conditions are the cause milking saves time.It also develops ofgreatermastitisflareupsinthe bettermilkinghabitsandreduces autumn and winter. These are not new creeping and vacuum damage that will infections,but dormant orchronic occur when the machine is hanging oncases that become acute. Teats injured a milked-out quarter. by being stepped on or sores associated with cow pox are often present. Milk- Q. How does the anatomy of theing machines in disrepair or left on cow encourage mastitis? after milking is completed are frequent offenders. The introduction of an in- A. Wounds occur most frequentlyfected cow into the milking string is tocows withlarge and pendulousthe most common cause of trouble. udders and/or large teats. Self-inflicted wounds by stepping on these parts is the commonest source of udder injury. Q. Are all breeds susceptible? A. Yes. Cows with the largest teats Q. What are some usual udderand udders are more often affected disturbances leading to mastitis? because of mechanical injury to the A. Wirecuts,cow pox wounds,teats and udder. scratches, wounds opening the milk cistern, and leaking teats are some of Q. What are the probabilities of the common causes. a clean herd becoming infected? A. Safeguards for purchasing cows Q. How can injured teats be pro- should include: Isolation of the animal tected from infection? until tests are completed, bacteriologi- A. Injuries opening the teat canalcal examination of the milk, and a are difficult to protect from infection.careful examination of the udder.

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Sucking often causes permanent mastitis. Raise calves separately during the milk feeding age.

Q.At what age are cowsaf- latedstalls where sucking othersis fected? impossible. When isolation is not prac- A. All ages may be affected andtical, tie calves separately for about an thecowiscontinually exposedto hour after feeding or until the desire mastitis. Older animals are more likelyfor sucking is gone. to be affected because of the greater length of exposure time. Q.Can mastitis be treated suc- cessfully with drugs? Q.Why do some heifers have in- A. Yes,iftreated early.Careful fected udders at their first freshen-udder palpation should detect those ing? animals that need to be culled. Always A. Pail-fed calves tend to suck each suspect a lumpy udder as being mastitis other.Sucking removes the sealin infected. Collect fore milk for labora- the teat canal. Bacteria can gain en-tory examination. Bacteriological find- trance. Calves fed mastitis milk areings are good guides for treatment. therefore likely to infect each otherRecheck milk samples 3 weeks after while sucking. Such infected heiferstreatment, but continue treatment and will often have active mastitis beforesampling until the herd is free from theirfirstfreshening. Young calves infection.Itis usually best to have while receiving milk should have iso-your veterinarian cull cows which don't

6 respond after two or three series ofcent cures. The efficiency varies with treatments. Only after following satis-prevailing conditions. factory sanitary measures and desir- able milking and isolation procedures Q.How is the appropriate treat- should treatment be attempted withment determined? chronic infections. A. Consider condition of the udder, type of organisms present, as deter- Q.Isit necessary to treat allmined by microscopic examination, and infected animals? stage oflactation when selectinga A. Yes. Remove and isolate animalstreatment. showing the presence of infective bac- Which drugs are effective? teria until treatment is successful. Q. A. Most treatment is directed first Q. How effectively have drugs toward removing Streptococcus agalac- eliminated the infection? tiae. Penicillin has proved to be effec- A. Drugs have been used in elim-tive for the above organism in dosages inatingstreptococci,especially S. beginning as low as 25,000 units per aga1actae. Their efficiency in properlyquarter. More penicillin per injection selected cases, after microscopic ex-gives a greater number of recoveries aminations, ranges from 50 to 95 peruntil 100,000 to 200,000 unit dosage is

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Immediate treatment is important incontrollingmastitis. The infection spreads rapidly and udder damage also may spread in a few days.

7 reached, the dose being governed bycent infectionsisusually completely the size of the quarter and the typesuccessful,andtreatmentismuch of organism present. The superioritycheaper than replacing the cow. Re- of any one drug or combinationis placements, besides being expensive, debatable.Streptomycinusuallyis must be checked for mastitis and may added to the penicillin in the preparedpossibly bring other into the uddertreatments.Largedosesof herd, such as brucellosis, tuberculosis, streptomycin are effective in the acuteand reproductive diseases. gangrenous cases of mastitis due to gram negative organisms. Call your veterinarianimmediately when gan- Q. How shouldtreatmentbe grenous udder infections occur. Aureo-checked? mycin, as well as terramycin and neo- A. Laboratory testsare most de- mycin as prepared for udder infusion,sirable.Examination 3 weeks after have proved effective. Sulfas and anti-treatment is recommended and should biotic combinations also are effective.be made to find out if additional treat- When one series of treatments hasment is necessary. been administered, a change to another drug often eliminates organisms that have a natural or acquired resistance Q. Will animals once cured be to the first drug used. immune to mastitis? A. Infected quarters that have been Q. How often should an infecteddefinitely cured may be re-infected, quarter be treated? especially if they are leaky or injured, A. Three treatments for the penicil- thus allowing an easy avenue of en- lin or penicillin-streptomycin combina- trance for infective bacteria. Other- tion are recommended. Treat at 24-wise, they appear to be as resistant hourintervals,milkingoutattheas any other healthy quarter. Infection 12-hour periods between treatments.may enter at any subsequent time. It Another method istreating immedi-is therefore essential to employ good ately after each milking. Two treat- sanitation practices and provide the ments for aueromycin have proved ad-best of care for all animals. visable,the treatments being 24 or 48 hours apart while milking out at regular milking. Q. What type of shelter helps control mastitis? Q. What form of injectionis A. Quarters should be clean and preferred? well ventilated to insure good health A. The ointment type of materialoftheanimal. Deep,drybedding has proved effective. Ease of applica-should be supplied constantly in the tion has made it the universal choice. quarters. Loafing sheds have several advantages over stanchions, but more space per cow is needed. Sometimes Q. Is treatment economical? animals have trouble rising. Such ani- A. Antibiotics are becoming less ex-mals frequently injure their teats and pensive. Early treatment is more thanudder in the stanchion type of quar- 75 per cent effective. Treatment in re- te rs.

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'I'M TKIWGtj cCES"

Test newly acquired animals or animals you think might have mastitis. Testing, followed by proper treatment, gives best results and reduces chances of hard-to-cure infections.

Q. How should milk be sampledclean and sterile as the teat from which for a laboratory test? the sample is taken. The tube should A. Individual quarter samples arebe slanted while the sample is being best.Samples must betakenwithtaken,toreducethepossibilityof sterile precautions. The fore milk is falling particles entering the open tube. the more heavily laden with bacteria,The cap or stopper should be held and their effects; hence the samplesso that the portion entering the tube should be collected after the udder isdoes not become contaminated. Tubes prepared for milking. The teats, espe-should be filled two-thirds full to pre- cially the ends, should be swabbed withvent milk leakage around the stopper a good germicide such as 70% alcohol.or cap. Samples should be refrigerated The hands of the milker must be asuntil they reach the laboratory.

9 Protecting a Herd from Mastitis Sound dairy methods with a funda-cow. Isolation of calves is desired to mentalknowledge andpracticeofprevent their sucking each other and principles of sanitation and hygienetherefore infecting the juvenile udders. are essential. Here are some sugges-Mastitis organisms placed on the teats tions of the smallcalf by the mouth of another calf sucking it causes the bac- Raise your own replacements.teria to enter the teat and cause injury. This removes the threat from bringingThe bacteria may remain in the udder new animals that may be infected intountil the heifer matures and at the the herd. time of first calving reveal a mastitic If you buy, purchase replace- udder or blank quarters. ment animals that have been in full production a month or longerso Drying off infected quarters is thatmilkcanbebacteriologicallyoftenthe most satisfactory way to analyzed and the udder may be ex- control mastitis spread. Occasionally, amined manually when milked out.such quarters produce normally in the Isolateall purchases until these ex- subsequent lactation but usually the aminations have been made. organism persistsand may become activelater or spread the infection Feed lightly a week to tento others. The quarter that dries off days before calving and continue tospontaneously due to mastitis before do so until the udder returns to normal.the regular drying off time, or espe- Then increasefeed gradually.Pre-cially those that do so early in lacta- calving milking reduces congestion intion,rarely produce normally again severely congested udders. because of glandular tissue damaged. Use strip cup on each animal every milking. Do not use teat plugs or tubes Treat all teat injuries immediately. Place infected cows at one end of milking stringifanisolation Call your local veterinarian at stableis not available. Never let in-the first sign of mastitis. This is the fected animals stand beside healthytime when the greatest amount of pro- ones. Always milk infected animalsduction loss can be averted. last and milk infectedquarters by hand.Infected milk should not be Infected cows should be dried used for human consumption. Calvesoff carefully. Keep the dry cows where and pigs usually thrive on it. Some in-they will be seen frequently. Treat in- fected cows with damaged udders mayfected quarters before they go dry and be kept as nurse cows. (Very youngtreat the udder again after the last calves may developdiarrheafrommilking. If abnormal material accumu- mastitis milk.)Calveswill do welllates during the dry period, milk out having continuous access to the cowand repeat treatment. or if placed with the cow at regular feeding time. The calves should be tied Do not leave machine on too separately for hour or placed inlong. Remove milking machine when separate stallsif removed from themilking is completed.

10 11. Sanitation includes a careful There is no satisfactory vac- and well regulated series of procedurescination for mastitis. that can be learned by every dairyman. Brief reference only is made to several essential measures Streptococci, staphylococci, and Do not permit wet milking. bacilli that commonly affect the udder Wash hands after milking each cow.all gain access through the normal All dairy quarters should be clean, dry, teat openings or through injuries. In- amplyventilated,and comfortable. fections from the bloodstream were Loafing sheds are desirable. common with tuberculosis, brucellosis, All milking equipment should be steril-and some of the more rare types of ized by steam or adequate chemical diseasesthatfortunately are not a means. A chlorine solution of 200 parts per million is satisfactory. Quarterinary serious problem at the present time. ammonium compounds are desirable. Never milk onto thefloor.Infected material may be carried by flies, litter, Tests used for mastitis detec- ordirectcontacttoanuninfected tion range from very simple to com- quarter. Milk on the floor produces a prehensive and detailed. good medium for the growth of bac- teria. Blotter color tests. Paintedorwhitewashedwallsare Microscopic smear tests. highly desirable. Culture tests. Lime or superphosphate on floorsis beneficial and especially so where floors The simple color reactions as read are not scrubbed. in blotter tests give some indication of Guttersshoulddrainfreely and beabnormality. It is a pH (acidity) read- cleaned at least twice daily. ing. The pH of the milk is nearly con- Proper ventilation not only aids the general health of the animal but helpsstant in a healthy cow while in the reduce humidity and keeps floors dry. full flow of milk. Some physiological Clipping of udders and rear quartersdisturbance besides bacterial infection facilitates cleaning cows. may change the pH. Hands as well as udders should be Tests for clinical evaluation should washed clean and dried immediately before milking. reveal the type of organisms present the Use one towel to wash and dry eachandifthey are pathogenicto udder and then discard or rinse andudder. Treatment subsequent to such soak towel in an approved germicide.a test can be more critically checked Milking machine should be handled so and evaluated. teat cups do not contact floor,litter, The simple blotter test is desirable or anything but the teats. as a herd check each 4 to 6 months. Rinse,thendisinfect,teatcupsin germicide after each cow. Criticallaboratorytestsshouldbe Dipping teats in disinfectant solutionmade to determine quarters needing after milking is an added safeguard. treatment or retreatment.

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