Mastitis is a disease that causes severe inflammation of the mammary gland and udder tissue of the dairy cow. It occurs as a reaction to bacterial attack of the udder duct.
It can also occur as a result of chemical, mechanical or heat damage to the udder. In this content, we will explain topics such as mastitis definition,mild mastitis treatment clinical and subclinical mastitis for dairy farmers.
What is Mastitis?
Mastitis is an infection of the udder caused by bacteria. The infected udder produces less and poor quality milk. The risk of disease increases if milking parlour hygiene standards are not maintained. The onset of mastitis can also be exacerbated by suppressed immunity. Acute mastitis can be fatal. However, in treatable cases, there is a possibility of permanent damage that will affect lactation.
Many microorganisms can cause mastitis. For example, viruses, mycoplasma, fungi and bacteria are among the known causes. Therefore, milking parlor hygiene is the main way to prevent this disease. In addition, physical injury to the udder area and chemical skin sensitization are also known to cause mastitis.
Symptoms of Mastitis?
The most recognisable sign of clinical mastitis is a slightly swollen udder that is extremely hot and red to the touch. In severe cases, the cow's body temperature will rise and the milk produced will have a watery appearance and may contain flakes, clots, pus or blood. In the later stages there is a decrease in the daily milk quantity, lack of appetite, sunken eyes, immobility, diarrhoea and dehydration.
In contrast, subclinical mastitis is not immediately apparent and may result in few symptoms other than a higher than normal somatic cell count.
How to Treat Mild Mastitis?
The first thing to do after diagnosis of mastitis is to apply ice cubes to the surface of the udder. Milk with high somatic cell counts from the infected udder should be expressed three times a day.
During collective milking, healthy cows should be milked first and then infected cows should be milked by taking certain hygiene measures. The equipment used after milking must be sterilized.
The affected and unresponsive area should be permanently dried. Calves should be prevented from sucking the infected teat.
How to Detect Mastitis
As dangerous as mastitis may seem, it can be easily treated with early detection. If you want to detect mastitis early and take precautions, we will recommend you a wonderful device: MastiPro. This small device is attached to the milking system and automatically activates every milking. It also sends a notification to your cell phone when mastitis is detected or suspected. Click here for detailed information about MastiPro.