Mastitis is a serious inflammatory disease of the udder, often found in cattle. It usually occurs in first-calf heifers and recently calved animals. There are several types of the disease, which differ in severity. The causes of catarrhal mastitis in cows, methods of diagnosis and treatment, methods of prevention, all this should be known to a person who has dairy animals on the farm.
Causes of the disease
Catarrhal mastitis is an infectious disease caused by streptococci, staphylococci or Escherichia coli. Causes of the disease:
- violation of living conditions (cold, damp in the barn, dirt);
- violation of udder hygiene (lack of washing and massage before milking);
- milking errors;
- accidental injury to the nipple in the pasture or in the barn, infection entering the milk ducts.
In the initial stages, the disease is asymptomatic, the animal does not lose its appetite, and has a normal temperature. Small lumps on the udder (the size of a pea) can only be felt by carefully examining the animal's udder.
Symptoms of the problem
With catarrhal mastitis, the milk ducts first become inflamed; if the animal is not treated, the alveoli are affected, and the disease progresses. Then the animal loses its appetite, the cow becomes lethargic, the udder hardens, its temperature rises, lactation decreases, flakes appear in the milk, it becomes cloudy and tasteless. The cow's condition deteriorates quickly; when the first symptoms of the disease are detected, treatment should be started.
Diagnostics
In order not to miss the onset of the disease, you should clean the animal’s belly, udder and hind legs of dirt and dust every day. To do this, the dirt is cleaned off with a stiff brush, the udder is washed with warm water, wiped dry and lubricated with cream. A light massage allows you to detect small compactions of the udder, and expressing the first drops of milk into a separate bowl and the appearance of flakes in them will help the owner recognize the development of catarrhal mastitis in the cow.
Important: lack of treatment can provoke the development of udder gangrene, sepsis, and the death of the animal.
Caring and attentive attitude towards the cow, compliance with the rules of keeping animals allows you to quickly cope with the disease.
How to deal with catarrhal mastitis in cows
At the initial stage of the disease, the animal should be left in a stall (in the summer) or transferred to a separate pen. The animal is no longer given wet food and its drinking is limited.
The cow should be milked only by hand; milk is given out in small portions 4-6 times a day. Before each milking, the udder is massaged. In case of difficulty in milking, swelling and restlessness of the animal, it is recommended to use ichthyol and salicylic ointments. You can apply applications overnight, securing them with a bandage. In severe cases, the veterinarian prescribes injections of antibiotics: Streptomycin, Monomycin and others. The course lasts 5-7 days. If the udder is swollen and painful, cooling compresses are applied to it during the first 2 days of an exacerbation. After the swelling is removed, they are replaced with warming ones.
The animal's stall should be dry and clean; the cow should be placed on a thick straw bedding. It is protected from drafts. The stall is cleaned of manure daily and disinfected every 2-3 days. In order not to miss the onset of the disease in other cows, all livestock are carefully examined. Disinfect with a solution of “Whiteness”, a hot solution of baking soda.
Prevention measures
All animals in the herd must be systematically examined by a veterinarian. The udder should be washed and massaged before each milking. Special creams must be applied to it so that the skin of the organ does not become rough, remains elastic, and does not crack.
The barn is kept clean, the bedding is changed regularly, and manure is removed 1-2 times a day. If there are scratches, cracks, or abrasions on the skin of the udder, treat the damage with iodine, synthomycin ointment, and a pharmaceutical solution of chlorhexidine. Mastitis tests are periodically carried out on site and the milk is submitted for analysis to a veterinary laboratory.
Since mastitis occurs more often after calving, in first-calf heifers, preventive examinations of animals should be carried out. The udder lobes should be symmetrical, the skin of the nipples should be free of damage, swelling and redness.
Proper milking of first-calf heifers and good living conditions for animals can reduce the likelihood of mastitis. Timely interaction with a veterinarian and compliance with doctor’s orders in case of animal illness ensure a quick recovery without a decrease in productivity.
