Understanding udder health
Last month we talked about why dry cow management is critical, though often overlooked. This month I wanted to dive further into the dry period’s importance to udder health.
ExpertisUdder Health, from Merck Animal Health, was unveiled last week in Holland at an international conference on udder health. This is a computer-assisted, structured approach to such disease, allowing vets and farmers to more easily find the causes of mastitis.
Four steps are involved.
A farm intake questionnaire sets goals, puts the farmer in a central position and allows for his/her objectives.
The data are analyzed, identifying areas for improvement. These result in fact sheets, i.e. a check list of risk factors for mastitis; and the information is synthesised into an automatic summary of the actual situation and the udder health objectives. The form contains space for tailored advice to the particular farmer.
“The structured approach offered by Expertis Udder Health takes into account that mastitis is a multifactorial disease and covers all aspects that influence udder health. To save time, the analysis ensures that the focus is on the most important issues, which can differ greatly from farm to farm. The existing services provided within this tool can be used to optimize udder health on the farm,” the company says.
Merck Animal Health global director dairy cattle Rinse Jan Boersma says Expertis has been developed to support veterinarians and farmers by improving its service level as well as to contribute to good veterinary practices by implementing preventive measures and prudent use of antibiotics.”
Mastitis is an inflammatory reaction of udder tissue mainly due to bacterial infection. Symptoms of clinical mastitis include the typical signs of udder inflammation (redness, swelling, heat and pain), changes in milk composition and appearance (flakes, clots, watery composition) and a lower milk yield. In more severe cases, the cow can be sick as well. Mastitis can also be subclinical and then the diagnosis is made if more than 200.000 somatic cells per mL of milk are counted.
As a consequence of the reduced milk production, discarded milk, veterinary and treatment costs and extra labor costs, mastitis is considered the most important cause of economic loss for dairy operations. Recent data from Sweden indicate an average economic loss of $480 per case of clinical mastitis and of $103 per case of sub-clinical mastitis.
