Volume 7 | Issue 2 Article 2 1944 Treatment of Bovine Mastitis R. A. Packer Iowa State College Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/iowastate_veterinarian Part of the Large or Food Animal and Equine Medicine Commons, and the Veterinary Toxicology and Pharmacology Commons Recommended Citation Packer, R. A. (1944) "Treatment of Bovine Mastitis," Iowa State University Veterinarian: Vol. 7 : Iss. 2 , Article 2. Available at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/iowastate_veterinarian/vol7/iss2/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Iowa State University Veterinarian by an authorized editor of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Treatment of Bovine Mastitis Drugs and their administration R. A. Packer, D.V.M., B.S., M.S.* s POINTED out in the previous ar­ agents other than streptococci it would be A ticle on Mastitis, treatment of mas­ useless to use these in a case of staphylo­ titis! should be accompanied by the initi­ coccic mastitis. Laboratory diagnosis is ation of various sanitary measures. essential for intelligent choice of drugs to Treatment without improvement of the be used. sanitation in milking of the herd is almost 2. The stage and severity of the infec­ certain to be unsatisfactory in the long tion. Some of the drugs are too irritant to run, because of subsequent reinfection of be used in the acute stages of the infec­ treated animals. The treatment should be tion. The use of these relatively irritant considered as an adjunct to a control materials in these cases will invite disas­ program rather than depending on it to ter, such as complete loss of the quarter. control the disease alone. The average 3. The cost of the material. The num­ practitioner of veterinary medicine is ber of calls to the dairy must be consid­ called on more frequently to treat an ered because some of the drugs require acute case of mastitis in a herd where administration 3 or 4 days in succession, little or no sanitation in milking is prac­ which increases the cost of treatment con­ ticed and too often the owner is unwilling siderably. to take the steps necessary to control the 4. Convenience of administration is disease. However, there is an increase in also a factor in the choice. For example, the number of dairy herd owners who, acriflavine is quite low in cost, but re­ through costly experience, are now will­ quires large amounts of material (600 to ing to take all measures to control mas­ 1500 cc. per quarter), necessitating the titis. use of special equipment as compared to In order to best serve his dairy clientele, using 10 to 120 cc. of material taken out the veterinarian should be well informed of a rubber capped vial and injecting it on both sanitary and treatment technics. with comparative ease. The discussion of sanitation appeared in the previous publication. The discussion Administration of Drugs of treatment to follow will complete the The actual administration of the various information on control of mastitis. drugs must be done in an approved man­ There is a number of points to be con­ ner. Instruments must be sterile and the sidered in the choice of the drug to be material used kept free from contamina­ used in the treatment of any case of mas­ tion. A separate injector tube for each titis. quarter to be treated is essential. Prepar­ 1. The type of infecting agent. Most ation of the quarter for the injection is of the agents now on the market are ef­ important. First the quarter should be fective only against streptococci. Since milked out completely. The udder should many cases of mastitis are caused by be washed with a chlorine-soaked cloth and then the end of the teat and the orifice • Department of Veterinary Hygiene. Iowa State College. Ames. Iowa. disinfected with an effective disinfectant Fall, 1944 77 such as tincture of iodine. This procedure twice as long as for any other agent used will prevent the transfer of any organism in the treatment. This loss of milk adds to from cow to cow through the use of a the cost of treating. common injecting needle and will prevent Administration of silver oxide prepara­ the introduction of any organism from the tions in the non-lactating udder is usually outside. non-irritant and effective in many cases. Advantage of treatment at this stage is Acriflavine that only one injection is made and no A brief discussion of the various agents milk is lost, provided, of course, it was now used for the treatment of mastitis will marketable before treatment. aid in the selection of a drug as mentioned Sulfanomides previously. Acriflavine was one of the first drugs Sulfanilamide and sulfathiazole per os found to be effective in mastitis. It is have proved quite beneficial in acute quite low in cost but is more difficult to stages of mastitis, although complete handle than others because 600 to 1500 cc. elimination of the infecting organism is of the solution is administered per quar­ seldom accomplished by this method alone. ter. If very many quarters are to be Heavy suspensions of sulfanilamide in treated several large containers are nec­ oil may be injected into the udder with essary. Because of the injection of a rela­ beneficial results. In order to be effective, tively large volume of fluid, it requires higher concentration of sulfanilamide must more time to make the injection. be maintained in the gland than can be Acriflavine has been quite effective in obtained through oral administration. the treatment of chronic streptococcic mas­ Such commercial preparations as Sulfani­ titis, but is contraindicated in acute cases. dol and Sulvetil contain 35 to 38 per cent It is quite ineffective in most cases of sulfanilamide in mineral oil. These pre­ staphylococcic mastitis. Acriflavine is parations are the least irritant of any of somewhat irritant to the tissue and con­ the agents now used in the treatment of siderable change in the secretion and bovine mastitis. Sulfanilamide in oil is some swelling is noted in the treated quar­ effective in streptococcic mastitis but is ters for a few days after infusion. This not efficient in staphylococcic cases. The irritation can be considerably reduced if use of sulfanilamide in oil is often quite 20 per cent sucrose solution is used as a beneficial in acute stages of mastitis. vehicle for the drug. The disadvantages of sulfanilamide in oil treatment is the need for repetition of Silver Oxide the injections every 24 hours for 4 days. This materially increases the cost of treat­ Various commercial preparations of sil­ ing. ver oxide in mineral oil such as N ovioxil, Silvo, etc., have been found effective in Tyrothricin and Penicillin chronic streptococcic mastitis. These pre­ parations are easily administered and are Tyrothricin, a substance produced by fairly reasonable in cost. There are a Bacillus brevis, has been shown to inhibit number of disadvantages to the use of the growth of most streptococci. Those silver oxide. It is quite irritant when in­ causing bovine mastitis are no exception. jected into the lactating quarter, an oc­ However, the stapylococcic are much less casional quarter will fail to lactate after susceptible to this agent. Commercial treatment and will atrophy or undergo preparations such as Ty-Sin, Tyro-Brev, fibrosis. Three injections, 24 hours apart Tyrothricin and Tyro-Mulsin all contain are recommended, necessitating three calls the same active principles and vary in to the dairy. Silver oxide is ineffective in concentration of tyrothricin and vehicle cases of stapylococcic mastitis. Milk from used. treated cows must be discarded for at least Tyrothricin preparations are usually in­ 14 days after treatment, a period about jected only once. They may be repeated 78 The Veterinary Student in some cases where necessary, but one Toxic Effects of Locally injection is sufficient many times. These products are quite easily administered and Applied Sulfonamides economical. Irritation is slight to moderate Toxic effects from local application of after the injection of tyrothricin products. sulfonamides may be classified in the fol­ In the above discussion it will be noted lowing manner: (1) Toxic effects which that none of the therapeutic agents are may arise from systemic administration. effective against the staphylococci. The (2) Those due to drug hypersensitivity or discovery and research work on penicillin allergy. (3) Those due to direct local dam­ has raised the hopes of the veterinarian as age or irritation of the tissues. to the possibilities of this drug against the The toxic effects associated with sys­ mastitis organisms, especially the staphylo­ temic administration are due to the pres­ cocci. The use of penicillin in the treat­ ence of the drug in the circulating blood. ment of mastitis so far is quite limited. When sulfonamides are implanted in a The work that has been done, however, is wound on the skin, or in the eye or nose, very encouraging and as soon as this drug they are gradually absorbed into the blood is available to veterinarians, it will solve and excreted in the urine. However, ab­ many of the difficult problems in mastitis sorption is so slow, as a rule, the blood treatment. In the treatment of acute mas­ level never becomes high and the possi­ titis where the life of the animal is endan­ bility of systemic toxicity is rather low. gered, penicillin will undoubtedly be of Absorption from the peritoneum is more great value. rapid than from wounds. Sulfonamide is Limitations absorbed more rapidly than sulfathiazole, therefore in using large amounts of sul­ One of the difficulties of using penicillin fanilamide some systemic toxic effects is the need for repeated administration would be expected.