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Daryl Nydam is a Professor of Dairy Health and Production, Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University.
Selective dry cow therapy (SDCT) is an effective way to use
antimicrobials judiciously on dairy farms while decreasing treatment
costs and maintaining herd health. In the Netherlands it has been
enforced since 2014 and the national somatic cell count (SCC) has
decreased.
The most efficient way to increase profitability of dairy operations is to control costs while maximizing milk production. Recent research has focused on improving genetic potential and increasing feed efficiency.
When describing the incidence of clinical mastitis over a lactation for heifers and cows, there is a noticeable peak: a three- to sixfold increase in risk within the first seven days postpartum. We know many of these infections were acquired or maintained over the dry period.
Dairy cows experience a state of negative energy balance (NEB) during the transition from pregnancy to lactation when the energy demand of milk production cannot be met by feed intake alone. The drop in dry matter intake around the time of calving leads to insufficient amounts of protein intake and available blood sugar needed for the production of milk protein and lactose.
Negative energy balance (NEB) occurs in early lactation dairy cattle when the energy they need for milk production exceeds the amount available through feed intake. To have more energy, these cows break down fat stores to produce non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and ketone bodies (e.g., beta-hydroxybutyrate, BHBA), which act as alternate fuel sources.
