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The most important thing in the fight against this disease is to identify the alarming symptoms in time, and the treatment of latent mastitis in a cow. After that, the process proceeds quite successfully and does not cause complications. Difficulties arise if the disease becomes chronic or catarrhal, which can cause a complete cessation of lactation without the possibility of recovery. In this regard, it is important to know how to independently identify latent mastitis at an early stage, and provide first aid to a sick animal.
What is hidden mastitis in cattle
Subclinical (or latent) mastitis in cows is an inflammatory process in the udder of an animal that affects one or more of its lobes. The difficulty in treating subclinical mastitis in cattle lies in the fact that the symptoms of the disease are latent - the cow can be sick for quite a long time, but this will not manifest itself outwardly, except for minor physiological changes that are easy to miss. There are no acute manifestations of latent mastitis, especially at the initial stage.
Causes of latent mastitis in cows
There are many reasons for subclinical (latent) mastitis in cattle. The most common are the following negative factors that can negatively affect the condition of the udder:
- Unsatisfactory conditions of detention. Very often, subclinical mastitis occurs in weakened animals that are in a damp and cold room with insufficient heating. Also included are lack of light and poor ventilation. Dirty bedding only increases the risk of inflammation.
- Mechanical injury. Latent mastitis can develop in a cow after pathogens enter the mammary glands, usually through scratches and cracks in the udder. Weakened immunity only contributes to this, since the animal does not have enough strength to fight the infection on its own.
- Unsanitary conditions in work with cattle. Latent mastitis can be provoked in a cow by a person himself - through dirty hands, Escherichia coli and other microbes that cause inflammatory processes can penetrate into the blood and lymph of the animal.
- Hardware milking of cows. On farms where animals are not milked by hand, the risk of subclinical mastitis is 15-20% higher. This is due to irregularities in the operation of milking machines, low-quality equipment and inability to use it.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Sometimes hidden mastitis is the result of another disease.
- Difficult childbirth. The likelihood of latent mastitis increases with the retention of the placenta and endometritis - inflammation of the uterine lining.
- Incorrect start of the cow. Most often, subclinical mastitis affects cattle precisely during start-up and dead wood. In this regard, it is especially important to monitor the health of animals during this period.
Symptoms of latent mastitis in cows
Treatment of latent mastitis in cows largely depends on how early the presence of inflammatory processes is diagnosed in a sick animal. Most often, the disease can be determined only after calling the veterinarian, but it is also possible to distinguish a number of signs by which latent mastitis is determined independently. It is difficult to do this, since the changes are minor, but there is still a chance.
The primary symptoms of subclinical mastitis are as follows:
- milk yield decreases, but this happens gradually, and there are no changes in nutrition;
- the consistency of milk becomes slightly different - it loses its original thickness and acquires a slight wateriness, which is associated with a change in the chemical composition;
- As subclinical mastitis progresses, small lumps begin to form in the udder.
If nothing is done at the initial stage of the development of the disease, secondary signs of latent mastitis begin to appear, which are already difficult to miss:
- the mammary glands become inflamed - the nipples are noticeably swollen;
- the temperature of the udder rises, its swelling becomes noticeable;
- touching the udder with latent mastitis causes painful sensations in the cow, as a result of which the animal often moves from foot to foot and hits its hoof during milking;
- nipples become dry, cracks appear on them;
- the milk contains small white clots or flakes.
Thus, the very fact that milk yield began to decrease for no apparent reason is already a reason to be wary. It is better to play it safe and call a specialist to examine the cow. The veterinarian must take a milk sample from the animal, after which it is determined through laboratory tests for sure whether the cow has subclinical mastitis or is it signs of another disease.
Research on subclinical bovine mastitis
The primary diagnosis of latent mastitis is carried out through visual inspection. The veterinarian should look for the following signs of subclinical mastitis:
- the mammary gland has slight seals in one or more lobes, they are jelly-like to the touch;
- the overall size of the udder decreases;
- the walls of the nipples are noticeably thicker.
Unfortunately, these signs indicate an already progressive latent mastitis. At the initial stage of the development of the disease, its presence can be determined only in laboratory conditions. For this, special tests are carried out in which milk from cows with suspected subclinical mastitis is examined.
Somatic cell count in milk
The express method consists in counting somatic milk cells - with latent mastitis, their number in the expressed product increases several times, and leukocytes dominate erythrocytes. In addition, with latent mastitis, studies should reveal the following changes:
- the disease is indicated by the low acidity of the product;
- there is an increase in the amount of albumin and globulins;
- the proportion of protein in milk is significantly reduced, and a drop in the level of calcium and phosphorus is also noted.
Diagnostics by milk control plates
Subclinical mastitis in cows is determined in laboratory conditions also by reaction to the following reagents:
- Mastidin (2%);
- Dimastin (2%);
- Mastoprim (2%).
In this case, special milk control plates MKP-1 and MKP-2 are used, each of which contains four indentations. A test for latent mastitis is carried out according to the following scheme:
- Take 1-2 ml of milk from each lobe and pour it into the corresponding connectors.
- Then add 1 ml of reagent to it and stir the resulting mixture with a glass rod.
- After 15-20 seconds, the milk should thicken or change color.
If there is a thickening of milk to a jelly-like state, the presence of latent mastitis in the cow is confirmed. The resulting viscous mass can be easily pulled out of the recess with a glass rod.
If no reaction occurs, the animal is healthy or has other problems not associated with subclinical mastitis.
Milk settling
Additional diagnostics of subclinical mastitis in cows is carried out by settling. This process looks like this:
- 1-2 cm of fresh milk from each nipple is collected in test tubes.
- The containers are placed in the refrigerator for 15-16 hours.
- The holding temperature should be between -5-10 ° C.
After that, in good lighting, the reaction to subclinical mastitis is checked - if the milk was taken from a healthy cow, then it has a white or slightly bluish color, and no sediment is released. A small layer of cream appears on the surface.
The milk of a sick cow with latent mastitis forms a white or yellowish sediment, and the cream layer does not appear.
How to treat latent mastitis in cows
Treatment of latent mastitis in cows begins with isolating the sick individual from the rest of the livestock. The animal is placed in a separate stall, dietary food is provided to reduce milk production, and left alone. If the cow has a pronounced swelling of the udder, it is necessary to reduce the amount of drinking water for the animal.
The next stage in the treatment of subclinical mastitis involves physiotherapy, which includes the following set of measures:
- UHF;
- laser therapy;
- infrared heating;
- ultraviolet irradiation;
- the imposition of compresses and applications with paraffin.
Full recovery from subclinical mastitis is impossible without the use of antibiotics. It is not recommended to select them on your own, the treatment should be prescribed by a veterinarian. Most often, the following drugs are used to combat hidden mastitis:
- Erythromycin. One tablet must be dissolved in a small amount of ethyl alcohol and mixed with water. Injections are carried out into the mammary gland, while the interval between them should be at least a day. The multiplicity of processing is three times.
- "Mastisan E". Injections are carried out at the same frequency. The dosage is set by the veterinarian.
- Tylosin 200. The drug is administered intramuscularly once a day. The recommended dosage is 8-10 ml of the product. The drug is administered within three days.
- "Efikur". The medicine is intended for subcutaneous injection. The dosage is calculated based on the weight of the animal - for every 50 kg of weight, 1 ml of the drug is needed. Efikur is used for three days.
- "Mastiet Forte". The drug is used for injection into the udder. The peculiarity of the action lies in the fact that the product contains both an antibiotic and components for relieving inflammation. The dosage is calculated by the veterinarian.
These funds are administered intravenously, orally or intramuscularly. The action of the drugs is based on neutralizing the toxicity of pathogenic bacteria.
Additionally, sick cows with latent mastitis are injected with fresh milk from healthy individuals with a frequency of 1-2 times a day. Novocaine udder blockades have proven themselves well in the fight against subclinical mastitis. All solutions must be warmed to the normal body temperature of the animal before being administered orally.
Approximately 7-10 days after the start of treatment, it is necessary to re-examine the milk of sick cows. If the test result is again positive, cattle continue to be treated according to the indicated scheme until the test shows a negative reaction.
Preventive actions
Timely treatment of subclinical mastitis in cows is usually straightforward, but it is best to keep the risk of disease to a minimum. Since most often latent mastitis occurs as a result of an incorrect start, a number of rules must be observed during this period:
- juicy feed and concentrates are completely removed from the diet of animals, or at least their total amount is halved;
- the cow is gradually transferred to two-time milking, after which they switch to single milking;
- the next step is milking every other day;
- complete the transition process with a complete cessation of milking.
In addition, in order to prevent latent mastitis, it is important to provide animals with good care and maintenance. The bedding should be changed regularly to reduce the risk of udder contamination from dirty environments, and the area should be regularly ventilated.
Conclusion
If the owner identified the symptoms on time, and the treatment of latent mastitis in a cow is under the supervision of a veterinarian, then the chances of recovery in a sick animal are great. On the other hand, it is better, in general, to prevent the likelihood of developing latent mastitis, for which it is necessary to observe all preventive measures against this disease. It is also recommended to test milk samples 1-2 times a month, preferably before starting the cow.
At the end of the treatment, it is necessary to donate milk from the sick animal to the laboratory. Only after confirming that the cow is healthy, the veterinarian lifts the quarantine. Cattle are transferred back to other individuals, and milk can be eaten again.
For more information on how to treat subclinical mastitis in cattle, see the video below:
