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
