So, mastitis.
What is this disease?
Varieties of mastitis
This neglected form is treated for longer than the serous one, however, the productivity of the animal is gradually restored after completion of treatment.
If the cow has not received proper treatment, then after a while the entire udder (or part of it) increases in size, becomes very hard and painful, which is why the animal begins to limp. At the same time, the cow usually has an increased overall body temperature, and instead of milk, sucrose with a large number of dense clots is milked. This is already the stage of fibrinous mastitis.
This form of mastitis is treatable, but the further milk productivity of the animal is significantly reduced. She can partially recover only after the next calving. If you do not help the animal at this time, then the cow begins to have purulent mastitis.
The animal loses its appetite, the cow loses weight, and has a depressed appearance. Pus, which has an unpleasant odor, is drained from the nipples. The udder becomes hard, with areas of softening. It is no longer advisable to treat such a neglected form of mastitis, since the milk productivity of the affected udder lobes is lost.
There is another type of mastitis, which is called catarrhal and appears almost immediately after calving. The reason for its manifestation is the obstruction of the milk ducts, which is why milk cannot enter the milk tank of the nipple and, accumulating, causes inflammation. Such “milk jams” are well felt by hands.
The problem can be solved if oxytocin is subcutaneously injected at a dose of 40 international units 5-10 minutes before milking and the animal is treated with antibiotics (but more on that later).
Causes of mastitis formation
There are many reasons for the formation of mastitis.
Direct ones are injuries, hypothermia, draught, dirt in the stall, improper milking, transfer of pathogenic microflora from one animal to another through common means of care and maintenance (towels for wiping the udder, milking machine, and so on).
There are also indirect causes of the disease, which are not immediately noticeable, but, nevertheless, can have a negative impact, contributing to the occurrence of mastitis. These include a violation in the diet of animals (for example, the use of monofilms that stimulate the productivity of cattle) or excessively high productivity of the cow itself, which reduces the overall resistance of the body in animals and causes mastitis at the slightest negative impact.
In other words, if a highly productive cow has never seen juicy green grass in her life, but is forced to eat mostly unnatural food for her (hayloft + concentrates + additives), the task of which is to increase milk yield, then she spends most of her energy on milk production, and the body reserves are no longer enough to maintain her health. As a result, the animal has various problems, including mastitis.
Treatment of the disease
It’s time to talk about how to treat mastitis if it is found in an animal.
It is recommended to start treatment by eliminating the possible causes of the problem. Without this, the effect of therapy will be short-lived.
In fact, it would be correct to avoid the disease altogether, observing simple zoohygienic norms. First of all, it is sanitation, optimal microclimate in the cowshed and milking hygiene. But it is not always possible to do this, therefore, in farms where the conditions for keeping animals are more or less favorable, it is necessary to examine cows for hidden mastitis once a quarter.
If the conditions of keeping animals are initially unfavorable (and nothing can be done about it), it is necessary to check the cows once every two weeks.
The introduction of one of the drugs into the nipple canal: “Bayoclox”, “Amoclox” and the like very effectively prevents the formation of mastitis (during the deadwood period). It should be administered after the last milking in the current lactation.
Treatment makes sense if it is not very expensive financially, and if after completing the course the productivity of the animal is restored.
Juicy and concentrated feeds should be excluded from the diet of a sick cow. It is better to limit the water to a third of the usual amount.
At the same time, it is recommended to treat inflammatory processes in three directions at once:
- first, lubricate the udder with Dibutin ointment or another similar action;
- secondly, intra-cisternally (directly into the nipple) to inject antimastitis suspensions: "Mastisan", "Mastilex", "Mastirifin", "Mastiline" or others;
- thirdly, an antibiotic should be administered intramuscularly, for example. "Amoxicillin" in a dose of 1 ml per 10 kg of cow weight, with an interval of 48 hours.
With this treatment model, a noticeable improvement occurs on the third day, and full recovery occurs on the 7th – 10th day. In any case, it is better to hedge your bets and check the milk using “Mastidine” or “Dimastine” before completing the treatment.
If the treatment has not been successful, a study should be carried out on the sensitivity of microorganisms to antibiotics and, in accordance with its results, another drug should be prescribed.
Novocaine blockade gives a very good result, but it is not advisable to describe it, since no specialist will be able to produce it correctly, and in this case you will need the help of a veterinarian.
In addition to mastitis, there is another udder disease that cow owners periodically encounter. This is the presence of blood in milk.
There may be three reasons for this phenomenon:
- poisoning by poisonous plants (in the pasture);
- injury;
- rupture of small vessels inside the udder in the first days after calving.
This problem is treated with the medical drug “Vikasol 1%” (sold in regular pharmacies). The drug should be administered intramuscularly, at a dose of 20 ml (twice a day). The duration of treatment is three days.
Well, briefly and all about mastitis. There are several other udder diseases, but they are quite rare, so you should not focus your attention on them.
I wish you healthy cows and high yields!
