Definition of subclinical mastitis in cows and treatment at home
Mastitis occupies a leading place among the diseases of dairy cattle in modern animal husbandry. The number of sick animals in some cases can reach up to a third of the total number of dairy animals. The damage from mastitis is expressed in a sharp decrease in milk yield and in the inability to use milk from sick cows. Consider the causes of subclinical mastitis in cows, its symptoms, methods of diagnosis and treatment.
What is hidden mastitis?
Mastitis in cows can manifest itself in various forms, one of which is subclinical mastitis. Its peculiarity is that it is difficult to determine this form of the disease by the symptoms, since they are practically absent. It is possible to diagnose subclinical mastitis only according to the test results, since the inflammation of the udder is imperceptible, the milk has a normal composition and appearance.
However, if mastitis in this form is not detected in time, after a while it will turn into a clinical form. It has been found that subclinical mastitis occurs 2-10 times more often than clinical.
The causes of the disease
Inflammation of the udder is bacterial in nature, but no single pathogen has been identified that causes this or that form of mastitis. Bacteria enter the mammary gland through the nipple or from the body through blood and lymph. However, even in the presence of bacteria, the disease develops only when the immune function of the whole organism or udder tissue decreases. Weakening of immunity occurs due to the keeping of cows in a cold, poorly ventilated and insufficiently lit, drafty room, on a damp, long-lying bedding, with limited physical activity.
Mastitis can develop at the site of a bruise or sore on the udder, which the animal may receive while walking or transporting. Danger can lie in wait for cows in the stall - bacteria are in the litter, often dirty and wet. Unsanitary conditions for keeping animals and lack of disinfection are some of the main causes of mastitis, as is hypothermia of the udder on a cold floor or in a draft.
Poor milking machine condition and errors during milking can lead to illness: if the milking machine is incorrectly adjusted, it will lead to injury to the udder lobes or milk failure. Non-sterility of any part of the milking machine, and especially of the liner that is in direct contact with the teats, is a common cause of mastitis in cattle.
Mastitis in cows can develop due to endometritis, an inflammation of the uterine lining that animals develop after calving.In this case, the inflammation moves from the uterus to the udder, and mastitis develops. Swelling of the udder due to succulent feed can also cause inflammation of this organ.
Disease symptoms
Subclinical mastitis proceeds with the absence of clinical symptoms, only the examination reveals pathogenic microflora, milk changes physical and chemical properties (the lactose content decreases, acidity shifts to the alkaline side, the number of somatic cells increases sharply).
How to identify hidden mastitis in a cow at home
An accurate diagnosis can be established in a laboratory way by the content of somatic cells in milk and reactions with special reagents. Mastitis is determined by changes in the thickness and color of milk. At home, subclinical mastitis can be determined by the method of settling - pour milk, milked from suspicious udder lobes into a small container, put them in the refrigerator for 15-18 hours, and keep at a temperature of 5-10 ˚С. Then you need to examine the milk, if it is white or with a bluish tinge, there is no sediment in the container - the cow is healthy, if a sediment appears in the container, there are flakes in the cream, this may indicate mastitis.
How to treat a disease
First of all, a sick cow must be separated from the rest of the herd and placed separately from the others. The stall should be dry, warm, ventilated and light. The animal is transferred to a diet, reducing the amount of food in order to reduce the secretion of milk. If the udder is swollen, the water volume is also reduced.
Antibiotics are used to treat cows from mastitis (Penicillin, Erythromycin and others, depending on the type of pathogen), special medicines for mastitis and other drugs in combination to support the body, heating compresses, heating with lamps, light massage of the udder. Therapy should be started immediately after the detection of the disease.
If the cow has been milked with a milking machine, then you need to switch to more gentle hand milking. It is impossible to drink milked milk until the cow has recovered due to the presence of antibiotics in it. After the end of the course of treatment, you need to withstand a few more days, as indicated in the instructions for the drug, so that it can be removed from the animal's body. Due to the unsuitability of milk for consumption during the treatment of a cow, milk from another animal must be selected for the calf.
The frequency of milking a sick cow should be increased, this is necessary so that bacteria are removed from the udder along with milk, and swelling decreases.
Folk remedies
Traditional methods of treatment are effective only at the very beginning of the development of the disease. A popular method of treating subclinical mastitis in cattle at home is application of a mixture of clay with a decoction of medicinal herbs: plantain, nettle, yarrow. The mixture is applied to the udder overnight, the clay relieves swelling and pain, the herbs act as antiseptics.
Applications can be made from warm paraffin, cabbage leaf, grated carrots, potato starch mixed with oil, baked onions, pork fat mixed with calendula flowers. All products should be warm, not hot, strong heating activates the reproduction of bacteria and worsens the condition of the cow.
In addition to applications, a tincture of garlic is used, which is injected through the nipple canal 2 times a day, 15 ml at a time.
Preventive actions
First of all, it is a clean bedding, warm, dry, light, with good ventilation.Correct feeding and adherence to milking rules. Regular examination of the udder of the animal, if any diseases are detected, treatment should be carried out. Particular attention should be paid to whether there is swelling of the udder, which is a predisposing factor for the development of mastitis.
In case of late detection and therapy, subclinical mastitis easily turns into clinical, the consequence of which may be atrophy of the udder lobes. The danger of this form of the disease is that it is difficult to identify the disease without the presence of characteristic signs, meanwhile, at this time, bacteria are found in the milk from such cows, and it is unsuitable for consumption.
Raw milk can cause disease in humans and, if used as raw milk, reduces the quality of dairy products. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are important in preventing subclinical mastitis.
