Observation

There are essentially three stages or three types of mastitis: acute, sub-acute and sub-clinical.

Acute inflammatory mastitis

Observation

Usually appears very suddenly and rapidely, with redness, heat, pain, hardness or swelling, sometimes fever. The general state of well-being is affected with loss of appetite and of course production. The animal is often agitated. At this stage there is no infection yet, thus no lumps in the milk. In order to avoid a worsening of the problem, the correct protocol should be administered at this stage.

Treatment

There are three situations that determine which of the protocols to follow:

Infectious mastitis with Streptococcus

Observation

Pus discharge with lumps and general depression (temperature may be low).

Cause:
Often related to the environment, this infection was the most frequent and the easiest to treat 10 years ago. A massive use of antibiotics has all but wiped it up, helping the spread of staphylococcus aurous, more resistant to antibiotics. With this kind of infection, the somatic cell count can climb abruptly to several million, only to come down rapidly one or two months later. Beside the environmental factors, a cow that is overloaded with an excess protein (soluble nitrogen, metabolic type no 5), which stresses the major organs, becomes more fragile to infections.

Treatment

The main product for acute infectious mastitis is MAM1SOL. If there is inflammation it is combined with FLAMESOL: FLAMESOL+ MAM1SOL morning and evening, for 2 days, then MAM1SOL morning and evening for 3 days or until symptoms disappear. Complete with EDEMASOL morning and evening for 5 days to help recovery and prevent relapses, ends up with DRAINSOL, 3 milkings in a row.

Toxic mastitis (septic) with E. Coli

Observation

Milk becomes yellowish, then watery; there may be blood in the milk, body temperature is low: ACT FAST AND OFTEN!

Cause:
Other than bacterial contamination due to the environment (wood shavings), through a teat with an open wound, or stuck open (with flowing milk) vulnerability to E. Coli is often a result of a weakness of the immune system before and after calving (somatic cell count under 10.000 in the first month of lactation) caused by an excess of antibiotics at dry off. Also, ruminal instability prevents normal digestion of E.Coli by the cow and makes it aggressive.

Treatment

Emergency Protocol:
MAM1SOL+INTOXSOL, EVERY HOUR FOR AT LEAST 5 TO 10 hours, and milk out the infected quarter every hour as well, then, when the milk becomes white again, 3 to 4 times a day for 2 or 3 days; carry on with MAM1SOL+ EDEMASOL morning and evening for 3 to 5 days. End with 3 milkings of DRAINSOL or LIVERSOL if it was in the right-rear quarter.

N.B. If the cow is diagnosed with Staph. Aureus, give MAM2SOL alternate with MAM1SOL, to cover both probabilities. Same frequency.

Summer mastitis with corynebacterium

Observation

It often appears near forests, in humid season, caused by flies. It particularly affects animals that are not in lactation. It always starts in a very acute, severe way, affecting many quarters. As with E. Coli, milk is watery and yellowish, chronic abscesses are formed in the udder. The abscesses are purulent, producing a liquid thick as cheese and foul smelling. Healing is very slow, and abscesses are repetitive.

Treatment

MAM1SOL+ ABCESSOL in the morning, MAM1SOL+ INTOXSOL in the evening for 3 days, then MAM1SOL+ABCESSOL in the morning and MAM2SOL+SEPTISOL in the evening for 3 days. Follow with DRAINSOL 3 milkings in a row. End with MAM3SOL+EDEMASOL in the morning and MINSOL in the evening for 5 days. This last Protocol, to regenerate the udder, must be done every month until completely recovered. If the animal scours or has excesses weight loss in addition, see the chapter 2.3.7 on Para tuberculosis.

Sub-acute, or clinical mastitis

Observation

About every 3 weeks, no more acute stage, recurring lumps and sometimes swelling, loss of production, less general symptoms.

Cause:
incomplete treatment of an acute mastitis. Antibiotics may not have completely removed all bacteria from a previous mastitis. May also be a non-acute mastitis caused by demineralization, especially with big producers. Despite light symptoms, this type of mastitis, left untreated, has a tendency to recur and prepares the way for sub-clinical mastitis (without symptoms) with staphylococcus and high somatic cells count.

Treatment

MAM1SOL+ EDEMASOL (to drain infection and avoid a relapse) morning and evening for 3 days, then MAM2SOL in the morning (to prevent a mastitis with staphylococcus and high somatic cells count) and EDEMASOL in the evening for 3 days or until lumps and swelling have disappeared. Complete with MINSOL morning and evening for 3 days to re-mineralize and avoid a chronic lesion to the udder.

Sub-clinical mastitis

Observation

No or few general or local symptoms but a high leukocyte count, most of the times caused by staphylococcus.

Cause:
Less frequent 15 years ago, when acute mastitis with streptococcus were easily treated with antibiotics, sub-clinical mastitis with staphylococcus have become a scourge for breeders and the most important nuisance affecting the profitability of dairy farms.

The two most important causes of high leukocyte counts are:
the proliferation of a resistant staphylococcus following an excessive use of antibiotics;
a weakened immune system in cows overwhelmed by conditions at the limit of their physiology (excess of nitrogen, sugars, toxic overload, insufficient draining, demineralization, over-production, medication, etc...).

This puts them in a state of permanent immune struggle and causes a rise in somatic cells.

Treatment

See the detailed article on the treatment of mastitis with staphylococcus in the pdf note book.

Chronic mastitis and unbalanced udder

Observation

After effects of repeated mastitis affecting the udder (lumps, lesions, hardening, damaged teats, lost quarter, drop of production), nodular thelitis, repeated mastitis.

Cause:
The animal never completely recovered from acute or sub-acute mastitis; demineralization.

Treatment

EDEMASOL+ MAM3SOL in the morning and MINSOL in the evening, for 10 days (if already treated with antibiotics, first desensitize with MAM2SOL morning and evening for 5 days), repeat once a month for 5 days until the udder has recovered.

Prevention of mastitis at drying up

Treatment

No mather the treatment you use, never give SOLDRY to the cows 3 weeks or less before calving.

Drying off

Observation

GENERAL WARNING:
Whatever the Protocol plan is, never give DRYSOL during the last 3 weeks before calving. Also, we strongly recommend not giving the antibiotic treated milk to the calves and/or from a staphylococcus cow. We suspect this could transfer the antibiotic resistance to the heifers, which would mean that they are already calving with staphylococcus problems.

Treatment

For the staph or streptococcus Uberis cows and for those with 400 000 somatic cells, use DRYSOL and MAM2SOL once a day for the last 10 days of milking.
For those without any problems, use DRYSOL and EDEMASOL for the same period.

High leukocyte count and staphylococcus (1,5 M-)

Treatment

The last 10 days of lactation, dry up with DRYSOL in the morning and MAM2SOL in the evening.
Then use the dry period from day 10 to 3 weeks before calving to treat the staphylococcus, by following the appropriate Protocol, after a case analysis.

Protocol of the staphylococcus during dry period:
We strongly recommend not to use antibiotics to dry up those cows who are diagnosed with staphylococcus, because it makes the staph more resistant, and harder to treat. Continue in dry period with DRYSOL in the morning and MAM2SOL in the evening for 10 days, as shown above. If the staphylococcus is very resistant: wait 10 days after the first Protocol with MAM2SOL, then give DRYSOL in the morning and FLAMESOL in the evening, for 10 days.

High leukocyte count and streptococcus (2 to 4 M)

Treatment

For the first 10 days, dry up with DRYSOL in the morning and MAM2SOL in the evening.
Then use the dry period for Protocol -from the 10th day until 3 weeks before calving. Treat the streptococcus by giving DRYSOL in the morning and MAM1SOL in the evening, for 10 days, stop for 10 days, do it again for 10 days

Prevention of recurring acute mastitis

Treatment

Same treatment as for the streptococcus as described previously.

Fungal mastitis

Observation

Symptoms are generally strange, yogurt-like mastitis, spaghetti; yellow lumps in white milk, mud-like appearance, many descriptions can be given. We can be positive it is really fungus mastitis by veterinary analysis of the milk, or after you’ve tried MAM1SOL, then MAM2SOL, with little success. There may be swelling but not always, there may be fever but not always, the cow may be depressed but not always.

Cause:
Cows that are slightly acidic due to an excess of digestible energy in the ration are more susceptible to funguses that love an acid environment to grow in. Penicillin, which was developed from fungus can also help set up a cow for this kind of mastitis.

Treatment

MOD4SOL+MINSOL in the morning, and MYCOSOL in the evening, until the symptoms disappears, about 4 to 7 days. End with DRAINSOL, 3 milkings in a row.