I was at the Canadian Dairy XPO this year having some great mastitis conversations with progressive producers. In my biased sample of interactions, there were generally two strategies when I asked how they treated mastitis: either treat everyone or treat no one. Both approaches are understandable, but neither is optimal. 

Researchers have sought to understand what motivates and prevents farmers from adopting selective clinical mastitis protocols. By helping dairy farmers and veterinarians navigate the identified barriers and by providing support, we can better position the dairy industry to achieve long-term improvement of antimicrobial stewardship practices on dairy farms.

We can categorize automated milking system data into tools for detecting new infections in individual cows and tools for monitoring the herd level of existing infection. The tools will be more valuable if we use them correctly.

When mastitis happens, it is easy to assume antibiotics are the next step. In many cases, they are, but not always. That’s where intentional mastitis treatment decisions make a difference.

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.

Ever since 1894, Minglewood Dairy has upheld a tradition of exceptional care for their cows and land, evolving significantly over the past 130 years.

The treatment of clinical mastitis has dramatically changed in the approximately 50 years of my veterinary career. The major focus has been on the proper and judicious use of antibiotics in dairy cattle and assuring the public there are no antibiotic residues in the milk supply.