The risk of mastitis is highest just after calving and even higher in first-calf heifers. There are several strategies to avoiding the incidence and spread of this udder infection, and some key management decisions to make prior to treatment of the disease.
Dr. Herman Barkema, DVM and professor of animal health at the University of Calgary, explains five areas of management dairy farmers need to evaluate on their farms, even if theirherd typically runs a low somatic cell count (SCC). In this video, Barkema runs through the most important mastitis management tips for low and high SCC herds, from timely servicing of milk machines, to sanitation strategies to minimize the spread between cows and the importance of culturing the bacteria causing the infection before deciding on antibiotic treatment.
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