Mastitis in Dairy Cows: Early Signs and Prevention

Mastitis is an infection of the udder, and it is one of the most costly problems on any dairy farm. Farmers know it as थनैला रोग. Most cases start when bacteria enter through the teat opening, usually around milking time.

Two kinds of mastitis

Clinical mastitis can be seen: the quarter is swollen, hot, hard or painful, and the milk has clots, flakes, blood or looks watery. In severe cases the cow has a fever and stops eating.

Subclinical mastitis cannot be seen. The milk looks normal, but the cow gives less milk and the infection spreads to other cows at milking. On most farms there are far more subclinical cases than clinical ones, so this is where most of the milk is lost.

How to catch it early

• Strip cup or dark cloth: before each milking, squirt the first two or three streams from every teat onto a black surface. Clots or flakes show up clearly.
• California Mastitis Test (CMT): a simple paddle and reagent kit, often available through your vet or milk society. Mix milk from each quarter with the reagent. If it thickens into a gel, that quarter has a problem even if the milk looks fine. Test every cow once a month and every fresh cow after calving.
• Watch the yield: a sudden drop in one cow’s milk, or a rise in your milk society’s somatic cell count report, is an early warning.

Milking habits that prevent mastitis

1. Clean, dry floor and bedding. Wet dung and mud are the biggest source of infection.
2. Wash your hands before milking and between cows.
3. Clean and dry the teats with a clean cloth for each cow. Do not use one wet cloth for the whole herd.
4. Use full-hand milking. Squeezing the teat with the folded thumb (knuckling) damages the teat end and lets bacteria in.
5. Milk out fully and quickly, at the same times every day.
6. Teat dip after milking with a solution your vet recommends, so each teat is covered right after milking.
7. Feed right after milking. The teat opening stays open for about half an hour. If the cow stands to eat instead of lying in dirt, fewer bacteria get in.
8. Milk infected cows last, and wash your hands afterwards.

Around drying off and calving

The two weeks after drying off and the weeks around calving are the riskiest times. Ask your vet about dry-cow treatment when you dry the cow off, and keep the calving area especially clean.

Feeding for a healthy udder

A cow short of vitamin E, selenium, vitamin A or zinc has weaker defences in the udder and teat skin. Daily minerals help, such as Mix Mix. MST-Care is a feed supplement with herbs, zinc and probiotics to support udder health, and it can be given alongside your vet’s treatment.

When the cow already has mastitis

• Call your vet. The right medicine depends on the cause, and antibiotics left over from another case can make things worse.
• Follow the milk withdrawal period your vet gives. Milk from a treated cow should not go into the can.
• Keep milking the affected quarter out fully, and milk it last.
• A cow that keeps getting mastitis in the same quarter can infect the whole herd. Discuss her future with your vet.

Quick checklist

• Strip cup at every milking.
• CMT once a month.
• Teat dip after every milking.
• Fresh feed right after milking.
• Clean, dry standing area.

This guide is general information for farmers and dairy owners. Blackmango products are animal feed supplements, not medicines. For a sick animal, call your veterinarian.