What are the treatment methods for dairy cow mastitis?

Dairy cows are born to produce milk, so what should be done if a dairy cow develops mastitis? How is it treated, and how can dairy cow mastitis be prevented?

Treatment methods for dairy cow mastitis

1. Antibacterial drug therapy

Antibacterial drugs are an effective means of preventing and treating dairy cow mastitis, especially in the treatment of acute, multiple and subacute mastitis, in controlling milk product quality, or as an important component of comprehensive prevention and treatment, and have important application value. However, with the extensive and widespread use of antibacterial drugs, drug-resistant strains are also increasing, causing the efficacy of commonly used drugs to decline, especially the cure rate for Staphylococcus aureus is relatively low. Fluoroquinolones are a new type of chemically synthesized drug, with characteristics such as a broad antibacterial spectrum, strong antibacterial activity, wide distribution in the body, few side effects, and no cross-resistance with other antibacterial drugs. Semi-synthetic penicillins such as ampicillin and sulbactam sodium combination have high bioavailability, especially acid resistance and enzyme resistance, a broad antibacterial spectrum, and strong action against drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. When injecting drugs, the teat canal, teat, and operator's hands must all be disinfected; first squeeze out all milk from the affected quarter, then inject the drug through the teat canal

2. Block therapy

The first is systemic block, such as 0.25-0.5% procaine 200-300ml intravenous injection, to reduce pain in the affected quarter and accelerate metabolism of the inflammatory focus.

The second is local block. For perineal block, pull the cow's tail to one side and disinfect the ventral commissure of the labia. Use the left hand to push the ventral commissure and feel the sciatic notch; hold the needle with the right hand and insert along the center of the sciatic notch to a depth of 15-20cm, then inject 3% procaine 15-20ml. For block at the base of the udder, if blocking the front 1/4 quarter, first push the udder quarter forward and downward, insert the needle at the anterior lateral side of the quarter (at the junction of the lateral and anterior sides of the quarter), in the groove formed by the udder and abdominal wall, along the abdominal wall toward the opposite knee joint to a depth of 8-10cm, and inject 0.25-0.50% novocaine 150-200ml into each quarter. If blocking the rear 1/4 quarter, insert the needle 2cm lateral to the intersection of the midline of the udder and the posterior margin of the udder base, along the abdominal wall forward and downward, toward the same-side carpal joint, to a depth of 8-10cm, with the same dosage as the front quarter.

3. Chinese herbal medicine therapy

The issue of drug residues in dairy products is attracting increasing attention. As natural drugs, Chinese herbal medicines have relatively fewer toxic and side effects than chemical drugs, and many Chinese herbal medicines are also good immunomodulators. In treating mastitis, Chinese herbal medicines have the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and dispersing nodules, activating blood and removing stasis, and promoting menstruation and milk flow.

4. Physical therapy

The purpose is to reduce inflammatory exudation and promote absorption of exudate, and to relieve inflammation and pain.

(1) Hot compress method, once for 30 minutes, 2-3 times per day, to improve blood circulation and promote absorption of inflammatory substances.

(2) Infrared or ultraviolet therapy, use a “Weikang lamp” to irradiate the affected area (irradiate at 4-5 points, each point for about 5 minutes, at a distance of about 30cm from the affected area), twice daily, 30 minutes each time; combined with Chinese herbal medicines. Using the above two methods for treatment, cure in 7 days.

(3) Laser therapy: use helium-neon laser irradiation. Low-power helium-neon laser has functions such as dilating blood vessels, dredging meridians, promoting blood circulation, accelerating metabolism, and enhancing body resistance in animals.

(4) Udder massage 2-3 times daily, 10-15 minutes each time. For serous mastitis, massage from bottom to top; for catarrhal and purulent mastitis, massage from top to bottom; but massage is contraindicated for fibrinous, hemorrhagic, and phlegmonous mastitis.

(5) Increase the number of milking times to remove deteriorated milk, pathogenic bacteria, and bacterial toxins. Reduce stimulation of the mammary gland and spread of pathogens.

5. Surgical therapy

For purulent mastitis, if the abscess is superficial, it should be incised to drain pus; for deep abscesses, first aspirate the pus, then inject antibiotics for treatment.

6. Teat dipping

Teat dipping can kill pathogenic bacteria at the teat end and in the teat canal, and is an effective method for preventing and treating mastitis. The medicinal solution for soaking teats is required to have strong bactericidal activity, low irritation, stable performance, and low price. Commonly used drugs are chlorhexidine, benzalkonium bromide, etc. Among them, 0.3-05% chlorhexidine has the best effect. After each milking, dip the teats in the medicinal solution, but in cold and dry winter it should be stopped to prevent teat chapping or frostbite.

7. Trial use of antiparasitic drugs

Levamisole hydrochloride is an anthelmintic drug with immunological activity. Using it to treat subclinical mastitis in dairy cows has a relatively good effect. The positive rate of subclinical mastitis decreased from 42% to 8%, and the cure rate reached 80%. Test results prove that levamisole hydrochloride not only has a good therapeutic effect on subclinical mastitis in dairy cows, but also has a good preventive effect.

8. Local external drug therapy

In the early stage of inflammation, use 2% boric acid solution, 1%-3% lead acetate solution, 5%-10% blue vitriol solution, Burow's solution (2 parts lead acetate, 1 part alum, 40 parts water), etc. for cold compress on the affected area.

9. Fresh milk therapy

Infuse 100-200ml of fresh milk into the diseased mammary quarter, squeeze it out after 1-2 hours, then repeat once, twice a day. This method can generally be used for clinical mastitis that is not very severe.

Prevention of dairy cow mastitis

1. Regularly monitor the udder health status of dairy cows

It is necessary to promptly understand the udder health status of the herd, and take corresponding prevention and treatment measures for dairy cows with high milk pH, excessive chloride content, and high somatic cell counts.

2. Strengthen the feeding and management of dairy cows

The forage fed should not be too single as far as possible, the combination should be reasonable, and drinking water must be clean. Where conditions permit, dairy cows should exercise no less than 4 hours per day to enhance their physique.

3. Maintain hygiene of the dairy cow barn environment and the cow's body surface

The cow shed must meet veterinary hygiene standards, have good ventilation facilities, and be disinfected regularly. The barn should be cleaned frequently to prevent accumulation of manure and urine and reduce offensive odors such as ammonia. The cow's body surface should be brushed and cleaned frequently to minimize pathogenic microorganisms in the environment, thereby reducing the probability of mastitis infection.

4. Ensure milking hygiene and insist on teat dipping

Before milking, wash the teats and udder with 0.1% potassium permanganate solution, and insist on udder massage as much as possible. Reduce the practice of using one towel to wipe the teats of all dairy cows. Milkers should raise hygiene standards and insist on disinfecting before working. In addition, milking machinery should be thoroughly disinfected regularly to ensure normal operating function.

5. Strengthen prevention and treatment of subclinical mastitis during the dry period of dairy cows

During the dry period of dairy cows, after the last milking, inject an appropriate amount of antibacterial drugs into each mammary quarter to prevent the occurrence of subclinical mastitis in dairy cows. At the same time, closely monitor to prevent introduction of pathogens, maintain the dairy herd in a “closed” state, and avoid bringing in new sources of infection due to the introduction or movement of dairy cows.

Classification of dairy cow mastitis

According to clinical manifestations, dairy cow mastitis can be divided into: subclinical mastitis and clinical mastitis. In subclinical mastitis, changes in milk cannot be seen with the naked eye, and no clinical udder symptoms appear, but obvious changes have already occurred in bacteriological and biochemical examinations. The somatic cell count in milk is between 200,000 and 500,000/ml. The incidence of this type of mastitis is far higher than the clinical type, and it is the most harmful; in clinical mastitis, abnormal symptoms of both the udder and milk are visible to the naked eye. The udder interstitium, parenchyma, or both become inflamed, and clinically manifested as milk degeneration, milk mixed with clots, blood, or pus, and udder enlargement, hardness, warmth, and pain.

According to differences in the nature of the inflammation, it can also be divided into serous mastitis, catarrhal mastitis, fibrinous mastitis, purulent mastitis, hemorrhagic mastitis, phlegmonous mastitis, etc.

Causes of dairy cow mastitis

(1) Microbial factors: The pathogenic microorganisms causing dairy cow mastitis are mainly various non-specific microorganisms. The degree of infection of various microorganisms varies by region, including multiple bacteria, viruses, and mycoplasmas. The invasion of pathogenic microorganisms into the teat canal causing mastitis is generally recognized as the main route.

(2) Environmental factors: The main route of transmission of dairy cow mastitis is through contact infection. Such as cow shed with much dust, not clean, not disinfected; cow manure piled outside the door or accumulated in the urine drainage ditch; wet cow beds, casually milking the first few streams onto the cow bed during milking, and not flushing and disinfecting in time; no exercise yard or muddy exercise yard, poor drainage, accumulation of turbid water; one towel used to wash many cows, or used to wipe cow manure from arms; cow shed truly; vacuum pump regulator not clean, or rubber tubes on the milking machine not replaced regularly, or cleaning the milking machine without adding any disinfectant, etc.

(3) Milking technique: If the milker's milking technique is unskilled or improper, it will damage the teat mucosal epithelium; machine milking for too long, negative pressure too high, or pulsation too fast will also damage the teat skin and mucosa; hands not clean before milking, not squeezing out all milk, etc. all create conditions for bacteria to invade the udder.

(4) Feeding management: For high-yielding dairy cows, high-energy and high-protein diets help protect and increase milk production, and at the same time increase the load on the udder, reducing the body's resistance, while a certain amount of vitamins and minerals can play an important role in anti-infection. For example, supplementing sodium selenite, VE, and VA will reduce the incidence of mastitis.

Detection and diagnosis of dairy cow mastitis

Clinical mastitis has obvious symptoms, and a diagnosis can be made based on changes in milk and udder. The affected mammary quarter in clinical mastitis shows symptoms such as redness, swelling, heat, and pain, and refuses manual milking. Floccules appear in the milk, milk secretion is not smooth and is obviously reduced; in severe cases, swelling and pain are obvious, appetite decreases, milk production is greatly reduced or stops, and blood and flocculent clots appear in the milk.