Early detection of clinical
cases pays off
“The
sooner you find a clinical case, the sooner you can treat it.”
The sooner a
clinical case is found and treated, the greater the likelihood of both curing
that case and preventing spread to other cows
- and the most effective way
to detect clinical mastitis in freshly calved cows costs virtually nothing.
Foremilk
stripping (or forestripping) by careful operators can identify early cases of
mastitis – when the chance of cure is higher.
The Countdown Farm Guidelines recommend forestripping all quarters of all
cows for the first 8 milkings after calving.
But technique
must be good, because if it is done poorly, forestripping may actually
contribute to the spread of mastitis between cows. Ideally, milk should
never get onto the hands of milking staff.
Tips on how to
forestrip fresh cows:
- Wearing
gloves, squeeze the base of the teat where it joins the udder between the
thumb and the first two fingers then pull gently downwards, avoiding getting
milk on your hands.
- Strip
onto the concrete or a dark surface or strip cup, never onto your
other hand.
- Look
for clots, strings, wateriness or discolouration in the first few streams of
milk. Changes in the milk that persist for more than three squirts indicate
that a cow has mastitis that requires treatment.
- Repeat
this for each quarter.
- Quarters
with only a few flecks in the first three squirts may be left untreated.
Mark these cows and check them again next milking.
- Wash
your gloves under running water and then dip them in freshly prepared
disinfectant.
With a little thought and practice, forestripping of fresh cows can be easily
incorporated into a milking routine.
If you don’t
routinely forestrip for eight milkings, then at the very least consider checking
each freshly calved cow both when she first comes into the dairy, and then again
when she is ready for her milk to go into the vat.
Early detection
allows early treatment, and early treatment means a better chance of cure and
less chance of spread.
"The
Countdown Farm Guidelines recommend forestripping all quarters of all cows for
the first 8 milkings after calving"
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