61. Clinical practice of drying off in cattle Flashcards
Dry off treatments?
Dry off treatments
- Classical ↔ shortened
- Average length 45-60 days
Consequences?
Consequences
- Calving problems, dystocia
- Periparturient period
- Next lactation
AB usage at dry off?
AB usage at dry off
- FVE position on selective dry cow treatment in dairy cows – June 2019
- Blanket dry cow therapy is an effective way to treat all infected quarters at the end of lactation
Dry off treatments?
Dry off treatment
- Clean hand (glove)
- Clean teat
- Use syringes with short conus
- Inject and massage up
- Teat sealant: only to teat canal
- Post dip
- Check for 5 days
- 3 weeks before expected calving check and dip
- Record treatment
- “Long acting” antibiotics
o Blanket therapy is most common
o Selective dry off therapy
- Management changes
o Cabergoline
- Teat sealing
o Bismuth subnitrate in paraffin dissolved
Endocrine regulation of milk let down?
Management of drying off cattle?
Management
• Nutrition
o NMC (national mastitis council)
o Reduce concentrate 2 weeks before drying off
o >15-20 kg at drying off
• Drying off
o Abrupt
§ Hard to perform in high producing cows
o Gradual
§ Changes in milking frequency is harmful to the microbiological status of the cow
§ Changes in nutrition is harmful to metabolic status of the cow
Challenges in abrupt drying off?
Challenges in abrupt drying off
- Low producing cows dry off when milking stops
- High producing cows
- Milk leakage
- Udder engorgement due to increased udder pressure
- Animal welfare
o Pain
o Discomfort
o Mastitis
o Systemic disease
- Shortened dry period
- 60 vs. 35 days off dry off:
o Lactational production is longer, 30 days (600kg), fat and protein
o After shortened dry period the lactational production can decrease in the next lactation
o However NEB improves, Peripartal clinical diseases still occur
Selective dry cow therapy?
Drying off one quarter?
Drying off one quarter
- After 5 clinical mastitis cases we treat with LC antibiotics and stop milking
- At dry off we treat all 4 quarters
- CMT check 3-4 X after treatment
- Apply in case of single quarter infection
- Advantages
o Milk production goes on
o Decrease infection spreading
o No culling
o No need for “aggressive” chemical treatment
Monitoring systems from dry off till calving?
Monitoring systems from dry off till calving
• Screening clinical and subclinical mastitis with observation and palpation of the mammary gland
- At the time of drying off
- 3 days after drying off
- 3 weeks after drying off
- 1 week before the expected calving
