Mastitis: The Miking Parlour and Mastitis Flashcards
Label the different parts of the cluster unit
How is milk collected using the milking machine?
- A negative pressure is created outside the teat 42-48kpa
- Continuous vaccum would stop circulation in teat- therefore a pulsator liner opens and closes allowing the teat to rest
- Vaccum on: off 2:1
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How can the milk machine contribute to mastitis?
- Contamination of liners- transfer of pathogens on teat skin
- Wet milking- milk flushed upwards into the teat canal, carrying pathogens with it- inadequate vaccum, fluctuating, blocked air bleed
What are common problems with milking machines?
- Vaccum too high
- Fluctuating/inadequate vaccum- inadequate pump, holes in tubing, liner slip
- Blocked air bleeds on cluster unit flooding of claw piece
- Milk not draining away from claw piece properly- teat end impacts, fluctuating vaccums
- Faulty pulsation- poor circulation, set too fast, inadequate rest, holes in tubing
What simple tests can be carried out on the milking machine?
- Examine clusters- blocked air bleeds, cleanliness, wear of liners, perising/holes in tubing
- Vaccum gauge in parlour note level
- Liners slipping
- Watch cows- paddling or kicking, over milking, faulty vaccum or pulsators, excess vaccum, hard liners
- Teat score
- Wash up routine
- When serviced
What is used for milking parlour hygiene?
- Gloves
- Premilking teat preparation- fore-milk, teat disinfection
- Post milking teat dipping
- Loafing time
- Parlour managment of clinically or sub-clinically infected cows- milking order, cluster disinfection
- Parlour wash up routine
What is used for milking parlour hygiene?
- Gloves
- Premilking teat preparation- fore-milk, teat disinfection
- Post milking teat dipping
- Loafing time
- Parlour managment of clinically or sub-clinically infected cows- milking order, cluster disinfection
- Parlour wash up routine
Why is fore milking teat preparation important?
- Legal requirement
- Early detection of mastitis
- Stimulation of milk let down reflex
What are the different stages of pre-milking teat preparation?
- Foremilking
- Cleaning and disinfection
What is the purpose of cleaning and disinfeciton of teats?
- Depends on gow dirty teats are
- Aim is to- reduce environmental bacterial contamination, reduce mastitis
- Aids in milk let down
What can be used for cleaning and disinfection for teats?
- None- no
- Wipe with common udder cloth- oh no
- Disinfectant wipe- one per cow
- Wash and dry
- Spray or dip cup with disinfectant
- Foaming products
- Teat brush
What common disinfectants are used for teat cleaning and disnfection?
What needs to be checked?
- Chlorohexidine- non-irritant .35-.5%
- Iodophors- .1-0.5%
- Chlorine dioxide- active in presence of faeces
- Hypochlorite- bleach, irritant 4%
Correct concentration being used, correct contact time, thorough teat coverage often not with sprays
Describe the milk ejection reflex
- Teat stimulation causes afferent neural imputs terminating in paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus
- Oxytocin released from posterior pitutary
- Leading to contraction of myoepithelial cells in mammary gland
- Stimulation- secretion delay determines milking routine
Why is milk let down important?
- Allows for faster milking
- Therefore less teat end damage
How can milk cleaning and disinfection be checked?
- Milk filter after the same cows- different milker
- Remove filter before the cleaning cycle to get true picture and for bacteriology
What is the purpose of post milking teat dipping?
- Remove bacteria transferred to teats during milking
- Key prevention for infection with the contagious pathogens- staph aureus, strep dysgalactiae, strep agalactiae
What different consituents make up teat dips?
- Disinfectants- iodine, chlorohexidine, lactic acid, chlorine dioxide, ammonium compounds
- Emollients- for skin condition
- Dye?
- ‘Sticking’ agents
What is the purpose of loafing time?
- Allow closure of teat exposure
- Prevent environmental infections
- 30 minutes
- Clean area
What should the milking order of cows be?
Least likely to be infected and most susceptible first
1. Heifers
2. Fresh calves
3. High yielders
4. Low yielders
5. High SCC cows
6. Mastitis cows- still need to disinfect cluster
How should the parlour managment involve high SCC or mastitic cows?
- Identify cows with tail tape
- Seperate cluster disinfected between cows
- Back flush cluster and then disinfect cows
- Hypochlorite solution
- Per-acetic acid
- Automatic cluster disinfection units
- Adds to milking time- not often done
What generally is the parlour wash routine?
- Clean milk out and remove bacteria deposited
- Cold rinse- once daily
- Hot wash- once daily
- Rinse with hyperchlorite
- Acid and alkali washes
What different parlour routine wash can be done if staphylococcus aureus is a problem?
Hot wash every milking
>60 degrees- tank 85-90
When investigating a parlour how much of the herds teats should be scored?
Minimum 20% of the herd
