Drying off
The use of the ClearMilk test one week prior to drying off will enable us to choose the appropriate antibiotic and duration of the antibiotic therapy if the microbial causal agent of subclinical mastitis is detected. After treatment, the use of an appropriate DC product which provides protection for the ideal duration of the dry period is recommended.
Why drying off?
- A rest for cows
- Preparation for calving and lactation
- Treatment of the existing infections
- Support of colostrum production
How to do it?
- After the last milking of lactation.
- Performed by an educated person acquainted with the risk of bringing the infection into the mammary gland
- After a commonly performed last milking, wear gloves and disinfect the tip of the teat using a swab with alcohol; proceed from the distant teats to the near ones.
- Let the disinfection act for several minutes.
- Apply the product into the teats (antibiotics in justified cases only, a plug in high-yielding dairy cows).
- Apply a protective postdip
- Place cows into clean room with new bedding
Which cows require antibiotic treatment in the dry period?
- ClearMilk test before the dry period is positive for a bacterial pathogen of mastitis
- Somatic cells (SC) more than 200 000
- Repeated mastitis in lactation
- Streptococcus uberis or Staphylococcus aureus found during lactation even without clinical signs of mastitis
- Damaged teats
Selective treatment of cows to be dried off
- No need to administer antibiotics preventively to non-infected cows!
- Drying off the non-infected cows, especially in herds with low SCs, will increase the risk of mastitis till 1 month after calving originated in the dry period.