Top tips on mastitis

MILKING can spread mastitis in dairy herds and maintaining healthy teat skins and teat ends can help control it, according to Dairy Australia Countdown Downunder manager Dr Pauline Brightling.
Milk from one infected quarter could spread to the teat skin of other quarters and to other cows by milkers’ hands, teatcup liners and the cross flow of milk between teatcups, she said.
And the risk of mastitis increased dramatically if teats had chaps, cracks or sores.
Preventing infection, Dr Brightling said, involved keeping cows calm and teat ends healthy, careful use of machines that operated well and disinfection of teat skin after clusters were removed.
Even teats that became temporarily swollen or discoloured during milking were less able to resist mastitis infections, so paying close attention to how teats fared as lactation progressed was a really important strategy in mastitis prevention, she said.
Dr Brightling said healthy teats were soft and supple. The ends should have a small, even opening surrounded by smooth skin, sometimes with a raised ring around it.
Healthy teat skin was easier to keep clean, minimising preparation before milking, and to maintain healthy teats in herd, these tips from Countdown Downunder should be followed:
1. Assess teat skin and teat ends after cups off every day.
2. Check important milking management and machine factors such as blocked air admission holes on clusters.
3. Reduce access to muddy areas where possible.
4. Ensure cows don’t have access to creeks, dams and water courses.
5. Minimise use of water on cows in the dairy; use low-pressure hoses on teats requiring washing.
6. Check teat disinfectant mix to ensure disinfectant and emollient levels are correct.
7. Ensure that all the skin of every teat is covered in teat disinfectant after every milking.
8. Avoid using teat ointments.
9. Seek advice from your veterinarian or milking machine technician if problems persist.
Dr Brightling said a good place to start was to ask a Countdown Downunder-trained adviser to conduct a comprehensive teat score review of the herd.
Teat scoring enabled the type of damage and its pattern of occurrence to be identified, providing clues to the causes of damage.