Health plan for dry periods can tackle mastitis
Health plan for dry periods can tackle mastitis
By Jessica Buss
PUTTING the PINT Plan into action could help tackle mastitis infections, which often stem from the dry period, say the vets who have developed this management tool.
They also believe that one dry cow therapy product is unlikely to suit every cow in a herd.
Warwick and Bristol Universitys PINT plan – Prepare, envIronment, Nutrition and Treatment – was launched to producers at AgriVision.
The plan was based on research which showed that clinical mastitis post-calving often occurred in cows which carried infection from the dry period, said Martin Green of Warwick University.
It was intended to form the basis of a plan agreed between producer and vet for individual units, preferably one which was written down, he added.
The first section is based on preparing cows. This should start 100 days before lactation ends, to ensure the cow is at about condition score three at drying off.
"For a week or so before drying off, it may be worth reducing the plane of nutrition by cutting out concentrate for cows giving more than 20 litres a day. But keep milking them as usual. US research shows that this results in less mastitis infection around drying off."
Checking a cows health records at this time, to decide on breeding policy for next year and to review cell counts, may also prove useful.
The final part in the preparation checklist was to prepare teats for antibiotic therapy. "This is often done badly and its likely to cause mastitis infections. At the last milking, we recommend these cows are teat dipped and sorted, so they can be brought into the parlour again at the end when there is time to prepare teats properly."
Mr Green advised cleaning teats, pre-dipping with a proprietary product, then drying them carefully before wiping twice with surgical spirit or alcohol swabs, allowing them to dry between each one. After the dry cow tube had been inserted, finish with a post-milking dip.
But stopping infections in the dry cow period did not end there, added Mr Green. "We found that more than half the infections after calving came from the dry period, so environment is critical. It is possibly more important than for milkers." When keeping cows in cubicles, consider converting to sand beds, he suggested.
Andrew Bradley of Bristol University added that it was also vital to keep cows clean when outside. "When there is poaching around gateways and feed troughs it will cause problems."
Nutrition has also been proven to influence cow health at calving and, therefore, resistance to infections. This could be a factor which decides whether clinical mastitis occurs in a cow that picks up an infection during the dry period or not.
Mr Green advised focusing on energy balance during the late dry period, including feeding high quality forage, some concentrate and adequate vitamins and minerals.
Treatment with antibiotic therapy must be discussed with a vet, as products differ in their action, he added. "The best dry cow tube for an infected quarter at drying off and one to prevent new infections later in the dry period may be different products."
Cows in both categories are likely on each farm, so using more than one product may be beneficial. "For cows with cell counts of less than 200,000/ml, in the last three recordings, assume they are uninfected and aim to prevent new infections."
Careful preparation of teats before using dry cow therapy will prevent the introduction of new infections, according to Martin Green.
PINT PLANNING
• Prepare cows well.
• Keep dry cows clean.
• Chose tubes carefully.