We often hear that mastitis costs the U.S. dairy industry $2 billion per year. But what does this mean on a case level?

The hospital pen or group is often the most disliked pen on a dairy. These are the cows that have abnormal milk and may or may not be sick. These animals must be isolated and identified so their milk does not enter the milk supply. The better the program for handling these cows, the lower the risk of spreading to the clean cows in the herd.

Keeping somatic cell count low isn’t just about producing high-quality milk; it’s about minimizing milk losses and maintaining a sustainable, efficient operation.

Because control strategies differ depending on the type of mastitis, knowing the cause of infections in your herd is essential for targeted prevention and treatment.

Klebsiella is a gram-negative bacteria that can cause severe clinical mastitis in dairy cows. If they survive the illness, cows are often culled due to low milk production. This article describes some common ways Klebsiella is transmitted from the environment to teats and strategies on how to prevent Klebsiella mastitis cases on your farm.

Knowing the classification of a mastitis case can help you choose which animals to treat, saving you money and improving judicious antibiotic use.