Selective Dry Cow Therapy - Advice to Farmers
Prudent Use of Antimicrobials – Exercise Care when moving to Selective Dry Cow Therapy
New legislation, which has a primary goal of ensuring that antimicrobials remain effective into the future to protect public health and ensure effective treatment of disease in animals and people, now requires a move to selective dry cow therapy.
- Cautiously select suitable cows for teat sealer only in consultation with your vet
Moving to selective dry cow therapy, where you administer a teat sealer only to suitable cows, requires effective on-farm mastitis control throughout the lactation. Reducing and controlling mastitis cases during any lactation requires a collaborative approach involving your veterinary practitioner, dairy advisors and milking machine technical experts.
Moving to selective dry cow therapy, especially for those doing so for the first time is not without significant risk – you must work with your vet to carefully select your cows and practice extreme caution to ensure hygienic practice during the drying off period.
A risk of a mastitis outbreak is present if any of the following occurs:
- teat sealer is not administered hygienically
- cows are not kept in a clean dry environment post tubing and observed frequently
- cows for teat sealer only are not properly selected
Consulting your vet regarding the Selective Dry Cow Therapy selection criteria is crucial, as are hygiene practices at drying off.
To select suitable cows, individual cow data is critical. Without regular milk recordings on somatic cell count for each cow throughout the lactation, supported by quarter level information, for example from a Californian Mastitis test or milk sample at drying off, it is almost impossible to identify the cows that require antibiotic tubes at drying off. Ideally, a milk recording should have been done in the last month before drying off to support decision making.
2.Carefully prepare your facilities and equipment for drying off
Good facilities, excellent hygiene, correct technique and a clean environment post-tubing for cows are all key steps to minimise risk of problems at and after drying off. Discuss your drying off procedure with your vet and dairy advisor to ensure you are adequately prepared.
3.Strict Hygiene is critical when inserting tubes
This is probably the most important step in the whole process, particularly if you are using teat sealer only. You should treat the insertion of tubes at drying off as a very demanding job that requires preparation, time and great attention to detail. Ensure you have adequate help and do not attempt to dry off too many animals at the one time. Investing time in properly disinfecting teats at drying off will minimise the risk of introducing new infections into the teat when administering a teat sealer, or inserting any tube into the udder. Strict hygiene, through meticulous cleaning and preparation of the teat end, to a strict protocol, is essential. Ensuring each teat is properly sterilised prior to tubing is a real challenge. It is recommended that you wipe the teat end for 12 to 15 seconds with a cotton ball or pad moistened with 70% alcohol or 70% alcohol wipes and repeating this process until dirt is not observed on the cotton/wipe and the teat orifice is completely clean. Information in relation to the recommended technique and other useful resources are available at https://animalhealthireland.ie/resources/?resource_type[]=documents&prog[]=cellcheck.
- Monitor cows closely after drying off
The key risk periods for new mastitis infections are the first two weeks post-drying off and the last two weeks prior to calving. Following drying off, pay extra attention to keeping cubicles and housing clean and carefully observe cows frequently, at a minimum once day in the first two weeks after drying off, for any signs of mastitis or disease.
Selective Dry Cow therapy requires risk assessment and risk management, but when done carefully, and in consultation with your vet, it will reduce antibiotic use. Reducing antibiotic use will stop the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance, thereby protecting public health, animal health, and our shared environment.
