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Identifying and managing clinical case
problems in herds
Managing
clinical mastitis cases is not just about treating individual cows. We need to
help farmers to look at and respond to what is happening in the herd as a whole.
Advisers can play a significant role in developing simple ways to show how a
single cow relates to the whole herd, setting protocols that are easily
understood and implemented by all farm staff, and training staff in their use
where necessary.
Veterinarians
have a specific responsibility in diagnosing mastitis problems in the herd. All
advisers should be giving clear messages about knowing which cows to treat, how
to collect good quality milk samples for culture, and triggers to alert farmers
to emerging problems.
Key Messages
- There’s
much more to clinical mastitis management than just treating individual cows
- Keeping
tabs on the ‘big picture’ of what is happening in the herd is the key to
control
- Before
calving starts, decide what triggers will alert you to early signs of
emerging mastitis problems in your herd
- Regularly
review these triggers
- Check that
the on-farm team has a consistent approach to identifying and recording
information about clinical cases
- Seek
veterinary advice if a problem is identified.
This month's grabs
The grabs are
also available in a Word file (without photos - so you will need to use the
links above to access the photos).
Relevant resources for advisers
| Farm
Guideline(s) |
4.1
– 4.13, 13.1, Fact Sheets A, B and E |
| Technote(s) |
As
above |
| Farm
Presentation Kits |
Part
2: slides 10-13, 15-16 |
| Interactive
Presentation Kits |
IPK
#2 A team approach to deal with clinical mastitis at calving |
| References |
None |
| Links |
Ideas
about triggers that are coming out of the Farmer Short Courses |
Australian Dairyfarmer
See also this month's ADF
column:
Frustrated with
treating clinical cases – look at the big picture
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For
more information on Countdown Downunder