Mastitis is considered the most costly disease
in the U.S. dairy industry. Treatment of clinical
mastitis is the major reason for antibiotic
contamination of products on U.S. dairy
farms. A survey of 183 dairy producers was
conducted to determine their perceptions regarding
clinical mastitis treatments and what
constituted their treatment regimens. Results
indicated that 33% of dairy producers used a
coliform vaccine, 10% used a Staphylococcus
aureus vaccine, and 38% did no prestripping
before milking cows. Obtaining a clinical cure
(restoration of normal milk) was considered
the most important aspect of mastitis treatment
success (110/183; 60%) compared to
bacteriological cure (absence of bacterial
pathogen), somatic cell count cure (cells count
back to near normal concentrations), milk
production (back to near pre-mastitis levels),
and udder firmness (back to near normal firmness).
Average treatment success for mastitis
reported by the 183 producers was 70%, with
a range of 10 to 100%. Seventy-three (92%)
producers listed “off-feed” as a good measure
of the severity of clinical mastitis, followed
closely by general appearance (91%). Appearance
of udder and milk, droopy ears, appearance
of the eyes, and low milk production
were other popular methods used to determine
the severity of clinical mastitis. Dairy producers
believed that 5.3 days (range of 1 to 45
days) passed between first recognition of a
clinical case until normal milk was restored.
Only 34% of producers utilized rectal temperatures
as a diagnostic tool for mastitis.
Many treatments used were extra-label and
some were potentially illegal. However, the
results presented demonstrate a wide diversity
of products used and a general lack of consensus
of what is considered efficacious mastitis
treatment. In addition, drug dosages and duration
of therapy varied considerably. Greater
education on proper dosages, durations, and
potential efficacy of treatments should be
beneficial. A clear need exists for conducting
efficacy studies to help establish necessary
and justified treatments for clinical mastitis.
