Catarrhal mastitis: causes and symptoms, cow treatment and prevention

Mastitis is a serious inflammatory disease of the udder, often found in cattle. It usually occurs in first-calf heifers and recently calved animals. There are several varieties of the disease, which differ in the severity of the course. Causes of catarrhal mastitis in cows, methods of diagnosis and treatment, methods of prevention, all this should be known to a person who has dairy animals on the farm.

Causes of disease

Catarrhal mastitis is an infectious disease caused by streptococci, staphylococci or Escherichia coli. Reason for the development of the disease:

• violation of containment conditions (cold, dampness in the barn, dirt);
• violation of udder hygiene (lack of washing and massage before milking);
• milking errors;
• accidental trauma to the nipple in the pasture or in the barn, the penetration of infection into the milk ducts.

At the initial stages, the disease is asymptomatic, the animal does not lose its appetite, and has a normal temperature. Small lumps on the udder (the size of a pea) can only be felt upon careful examination of the animal's udder.

Symptoms of the problem

With catarrhal mastitis, the milk ducts first become inflamed, if the animal is not treated, the alveoli are affected, the disease progresses. Then the animal loses its appetite, the cow becomes lethargic, the udder becomes stone, its temperature rises, lactation decreases, flakes appear in the milk, it becomes cloudy and tasteless. The deterioration of the cow's condition occurs quickly, when the first symptoms of the disease are detected, treatment should be started.

Diagnosis

In order not to miss the onset of the disease, the stomach, udder and hind legs of the animal should be cleaned daily of dirt and dust. To do this, the dirt is cleaned with a stiff brush, the udder is washed with warm water, wiped dry and smeared with cream. A light massage allows you to detect small udder seals, and decanting the first drops of milk into a separate bowl and the appearance of flakes in them will help the owner to recognize the development of catarrhal mastitis in a cow.

Important: the lack of treatment can provoke the development of udder gangrene, sepsis, death of the animal.

Careful and attentive attitude to the cow, compliance with the rules for keeping animals allows you to quickly cope with the disease.

How to deal with catarrhal mastitis in cows

At the initial stage of the disease, you should leave the animal in the stall (during the summer) or transfer it to a separate pen. The animal is no longer given wet food, drinking is limited.

Cow should only be milked by hand, milk is given in small portions 4-6 times a day. Before each milking, the udder is massaged. With difficult milking, swelling and anxiety of the animal, it is recommended to use ichthyol, salicylic ointment. You can apply applications at night, securing them with a bandage. In severe cases, the veterinarian prescribes injections of antibiotics: Streptomycin, Monomycin, and others. The course is 5-7 days. With swelling and soreness of the udder, cooling compresses are applied to it in the first 2 days of exacerbation. After removing the swelling, they are replaced with warming ones.

In the stall of the animal should be dry and clean, the cow is placed on a thick straw bedding. It is protected from drafts. The stall is cleaned of manure daily, disinfection is carried out every 2-3 days.In order not to miss the onset of the disease in other cows, carefully examine the entire population. Disinfected with a solution of "Whiteness", a hot solution of baking soda.

The milk of a sick animal undergoing treatment for severe catarrhal mastitis should be discarded and should not be drunk by humans or animals. Care must be taken to ensure that milk drops do not fall on the litter during milking, and there is no re-infection.

Prevention measures

All animals in the herd must be systematically examined by a veterinarian. The udder should be washed and massaged before each milking. It is necessary to apply special creams on it so that the skin of the organ does not coarsen, remains elastic, does not crack.

The barn is kept clean, the bedding is changed regularly, manure is removed 1-2 times a day. In the presence of scratches, cracks, abrasions on the skin of the udder, the damage is treated with iodine, synthomycin ointment, chlorhexidine pharmacy solution. Periodically, mastitis tests are carried out on the spot, milk is taken for analysis to a veterinary laboratory.

Because mastitis often occurs after calving, in first-calf heifers, preventive examinations of animals should be carried out. The udder lobes should be symmetrical, the skin of the nipples should be free of damage, swelling and redness.

Proper milking of heifers, good conditions for keeping animals can reduce the likelihood of mastitis. Timely interaction with the veterinarian, the implementation of doctor's prescriptions in case of animal illness ensure a quick recovery without reducing productivity.

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