Managing Mastitis Through Changing Environments
As we have, hopefully, made it through the hottest part of the year, we also hope that SCC and mastitis incidence will decrease along with the temperature. But as we know, mastitis and SCC management are essential all year round. Somatic cell count averages for 2022 were highest in the year's late fall and winter months. Below are some considerations for managing mastitis as the weather changes.
Record to control
Problems cannot be determined if data is not being reviewed. Evaluate bulk tank, individual cow SCC, and clinical mastitis incidence by season. Look for trends to determine if management SOPs need to be reevaluated during different times of the year. Evaluating historical milk quality data can help plan for the future. Making notes about weather changes can also help determine if management needs to be reevaluated.
The more information we have about a case of mastitis, the more educated decision we can make about mastitis management. Determining the infecting pathogen by sending milk to be cultured or using on-farm culturing provides the most information in guiding milk quality decisions. Keeping a record of contagious and environmental cases can help give more guidance when management decisions need to be made. If most mastitis cases are caused by environmental pathogens, cow and environmental cleanliness need to be the focus of management. An increase in contagious pathogens could indicate problems with milking prep in the parlor. Keep in mind bacteria populations can change throughout the year.
Bacteria thrive in different environments
Do not treat all bugs or mastitis outbreaks the same. With changes in the environment can come changes in bacteria populations on farms. Klebsiella seems to be causing more mastitis cases over the past couple of years, and we mainly see herd outbreaks in the spring. Part of this is because Klebsiella thrives in a wet environment. During winter, when teat skin becomes drier, we may see increased Staph species. Treatment and management of these bacteria types need to be specific depending on the bacteria.
Stick to and refine the basics
When managing mastitis, the basics should be adopted all year round but refined depending on the time of year. The basics should include keeping cows clean and dry, adopting proper milking procedures, using aseptic techniques when administering intramammary infusions, and implementing a mastitis vaccine. Review and make necessary changes to SOPs as changes in the cows' environment occur.
