Use of dry period intramammary antibiotic therapy and other forms of mastitis control in dairy cows: survey results

The objective of this report is to present preliminary results from a postal survey carried out in the USA of farmers and herds that were participants in the DHIA somatic cell count option (DHI-SCC), and members of Milk Marketing Inc. (MMI) regarding their use of mastitis control practices. Four areas of mastitis control were surveyed : (1) methods of dry cow treatment; (2) methods of pre- and post-milking teat antisepsis; (3) pre-milking preparation of the cow, concentrating on hygiene; and (4) strategies for handling cows with repeated bouts of mastitis, specifically culling strategies. The preliminary results indicated that most of the dairy farmers surveyed (DHI and MMI members) have adapted conventional practices of mastitis control. 87% dry treat all cows, 92% post-milk teat dip, >99% use some form of pre-milking cleaning protocol and 74% use a single-use towel for drying. Fewer than 25% of farmers followed the practice of culling cows with repeat bouts of mastitis. A majority (57%) of farmers responding to this survey had adopted the practice of predipping all cows..