Fads
Barrier Teat Dips with Germicides. Barrier teat dips containing germicides have been reintroduced in the last decade as a means to control the contagious spread of mastitis pathogens at milking and block the entrance of environmental pathogens between milkings. Some studies have demonstrated a limited efficacy against some environmental pathogens, while other trials have shown that contagious mastitis increased with use of these products. In general, the use of barrier teat dips has offered little advantage over the use of effective germicidal teat dips.
Selective Dry Cow Therapy. Pressure is constant both within the dairy industry and from outside sources clamoring for the limited use of antibiotics in dairy cows. Arising from these concerns is a reintroduction of the use of selective dry cow therapy. Selective dry cow therapy generally involves dry treating only cows that were a mastitis problem during their last lactation and/or animals with high somatic cell count (SCC) at drying off. The aim of selective dry cow therapy is elimination of infections present at drying off. Total dry cow therapy involves treating all quarters of all cows at drying off. Total dry cow therapy is aimed at eliminating infections existing at drying off and preventing new infections that occur during the early dry period. Selective dry cow therapy omits the prophylactic effect gained by total dry cow therapy. Economic analyses indicate that total dry cow therapy is still justified in North America.
One issue questioned by use of total dry cow therapy is the effect of this practice on antibiotic resistence of pathogens within a herd. An exhaustive number of studies have shown that the antibiotic resistence patterns of mastitis pathogens within herds have not changed during the last 30 years and were unrelated to dry cow therapy practices.