Cleanliness matters
By Angela Daniels  |  Friday, February 01, 2008

With spring just around the corner, it’s a good time to focus on hygiene. We all understand the importance of good hygiene. But, we’re so accustomed to the phrase that it often loses its meaning. And for some, good hygiene standards are quite variable. Don’t let that be the case on your operation.

Importance of hygiene 

Hygiene is a reflection of your management. For example, dirty stalls directly correlate to dirty teat ends. Dirty teat ends correlate to new mastitis cases.

Veterinarians learn, “the solution to pollution (bacterial contamination) is dilution.”   Simply put, disease is less likely to occur if the cause of disease is diluted in the environment. Good hygiene is the best way to accomplish this. 

How clean is clean?

You can probably never be clean enough. Yet, you must balance the quest for cleanliness with practicality.

There are different levels of cleanliness that depend on several factors.

• Animal age. In general, the cleanest standards should be applied to the youngest animals. Bottles and nipples should be clean enough that workers could drink from them.
• The nature of activity. If it is highly probable that disease can be introduced during an activity, then your hygiene level must also be high. For example, infusing mastitis treatments is an easy way to introduce bacteria into the udder. Therefore, slow down, clean teat ends and use partial insertion practices.
• Time of year. Hygiene of calf water buckets is more critical during the warm summer months than in winter months. Bacteria thrive and reproduce more rapidly and effectively in warm, moist conditions. However, don’t develop a false sense of security because cold, moist conditions can maintain pathogen viability. Strive for cleanliness and dryness as much as possible.
• Dryness — it is highly desirable in all sanitation programs. 

Disinfectant factors

Disinfectants are a critical tool in proper sanitation programs. 

However, not all disinfectants are equal. There is a disinfectant classification system based on active ingredients. The Iowa State University Center for Food Security and Public Health has an excellent Web site that includes a thorough disinfectant resource. 

Also remember that you cannot disinfect dirt or fecal matter, no matter how hard you try. Instead, remove all visible dirt.

For example, a client noted that his chlorine disinfectant wasn’t working. When we inspected the calf hutches, we found that they were filthy. The disinfectant had no chance to work because it could not disinfect dirt. We changed his routine to include detergent and a long-handled scrub brush to remove all visible dirt. The hutches are allowed to dry, and he skips the disinfectant step. Now, calves housed in the hutches break with scours much less than calves housed in them before we made the change.

Where to focus?

I classify cleaning activities into these frequency categories: 

• Areas that need attention with each use: calf bottles and nipples, calf tube feeders, IV sets, automatic syringes and teat dippers.
• Areas that need attention twice weekly or weekly: water troughs, floors of work areas, tractors and other feeding equipment. 
• Areas that need monthly attention: refrigerators (remove expired vaccine and medication, bottles with holes in the stoppers from multiple needle sticks and discolored products), drug storage shelves (look for the same items as in the refrigerator), and totes used to carry medication to the fresh pen or calf area and vehicles.   

Sanitation matters. It can make the difference between shutting down or perpetuating a disease process. I was once told that as a veterinarian if I could not be good, at least be clean. I contend that being clean helps you be good. And we should all strive for that.

Angela M. Daniels is a practicing veterinarian with Circle H Animal Health in Dalhart, Texas.