NB. Since mastitis is the main problem facing the handler in 70% of the health situations, we have decided to include the protocols for the different types of symptoms expressed when there is mastitis. The protocols described below make use of some of the twelve the essentials, but also of a small amount of magistral preparations by Martine Jourde, Homéopath. Be aware that mastitis should be an exception, rather than the rule, and when you apply the prevention plan as it is described in this workbook, it will be an exception, that you will solve rapidly without milk removal.
7.1 Acute inflammatory mastitis
7.2 Streptococcus infectious mastitis
7.3 Toxic mastitis (E-Coli or Staphylococcus)
7.4 Corynebacterium mastitis ( over-infected abcess)
7.5 Fungus mastitis
7.6 Sub-acute, or clinical mastitis (first stage before staphylococcus)
7.7 Sub-clinical mastitis, staphylococcus aureus or spp.
7.8 Chronic mastitis
7.9 Drying off
There are essentially three stages or three types of mastitis:
→ acute,
→ sub-acute
→ sub-clinical.
Usually appears very suddenly and rapidly, with redness, heat, pain, hardness or swelling, sometimes fever. The general state of well-being is affected with loss of appetite and, of course, of 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. There are three situations that determine which of the protocols to follow:
following a change of habit, stray voltage, transport, a fall, blow or nervous shock.
Give STRESSOL+FLAMESOL, 2 or 3 milkings, then EDEMASOL only, morning and evening, 3 days or until swelling disappears.
End protocol by giving MINSOL 3 milkings in a row. If lumps appears, go on the to 7.2 infectious mastitis.
A predisposition to the repetitive acute, congestive mastitis often is a result of an excess of rapidely digested carbohydrates (metabolic type 1). Treat as an ordinary mastitis. Correct the ration.
FLAMESOL in the morning, EDEMASOL in the evening, until lumps disappear. End protocol with DRAINSOL 3 milkings in a row.
there is a predisposition to acute inflammatory mastitis. This is often aggravated by an excess of rapidely digestible energy (metabolic type 1 = acidosis).
Correct the ration.
Give STRESSOL+FLAMESOL morning and STRESSOL+EDEMASOL evening as long as there are no lumps. If there are lumps, SEPTISOL+FLAMESOL morning and evening until lumps disappear. End Protocol with DRAINSOL 3 milkings in a row.
Treat the chronic causes with FLAMESOL in the morning and DRAINSOL in the evening, for 5 days, then 1 shot, of each product, once per week, until the cause is corrected.
Pus discharge with lumps and general depression (temperature may be low).
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 aureus, 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 of protein (soluble nitrogen, metabolic type no 5), which stresses the major organs, becomes more fragile to infections.
The main product for acute infectious mastitis is SEPTISOL. If there is inflammation it is combined with FLAMESOL:
FLAMESOL+ SEPTISOL morning and INTOXSOL+ EDEMASOL evening, for 2 or 3 days, then as soon as there is improvement, follow with EDEMASOL morning and evening for 3 days or until symptoms disappear. End the treatment with DRAINSOL, 3 milking in a row.
(Evolving to generalized infection or septicaemia)
Milk becomes yellowish, then watery, like beer; there may be blood in the milk, body temperature is low: ACT FAST AND OFTEN!
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.
SEPTISOL+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 SEPTISOL+ EDEMASOL morning and STAPHSOL+ EDEMASOL evening for 3 to 5 days. End with 3 milking of MINSOL.
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.
SEPTISOL+INTOXSOL morning and evening for 3 days, then SEPTISOL + EDEMASOL in the morning and STAPHSOL+EDEMASOL in the evening for 3 days. End with MINSOL 3 milkings in a row.
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 SEPTISOL, then STAPHSOL, 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.
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.
STAPHSOL+FLAMESOL in the morning,
MYCOSOL+ EDEMASOL in the evening, for 2-3 days, followed by
MYCOSOL+EDEMASOL morning and evening for 2 days, followed by
DRAINSOL 3 milking in a row, end with
MINSOL morning + evening for 3 days
about every 3 weeks, no more acute stage, recurring lumps and sometimes swelling, loss of production, less general symptoms.
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.
SEPTISOL+ EDEMASOL (to drain infection and avoid a relapse) morning and evening for 3 days, then
STAPHSOL 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 EDEMASOL evening for 3 days to re-mineralize and avoid a chronic lesion to the udder
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 somatic cells counts are:
1- the proliferation of a resistant staphylococcus following an excessive use of antibiotics;
2- 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.
The Protocols must be individualized for each subject. If needed, call our specialist, so that we can give you the best way to treat each case efficiently.
Here are few examples of the types of Protocols we recommend. :
For the 1st month:
STAPHSOL+SEPTISOL morning
STAPHSOL+MYCOSOL evening for 3 days, followed by
DRAINSOL 3 milkings, then
STAPHSOL+ EDEMASOL morning
MINSOL + EDEMASOL evening for 5 days
2nd + 3rd months:
STAPHSOL+EDEMASOL morning
SEPTISOL + MINSOL evening for 5 days.
Aftereffects of repeated mastitis affecting the udder (hard lumps, nodules, lesions, hardening, damaged teats, lost quarter, drop of production), nodular thelitis, repeated mastitis.
The animal never completely recovered from acute or sub-acute mastitis; demineralization.
EDEMASOL+MINSOL morning+evening, 10 days the 1st month, 5 days the following months until udder looks better.
• Acute mastitis (inflammatory, infectious or toxic) can be treated homoeopathically quite easily, as long as the characteristic symptoms are correctly identified
• Sub-acute mastitis (recurring lumps), sub-clinical mastitis (without symptoms) that is CHRONIC is more difficult to treat because there are no or few apparent symptoms. This is why the analysis of monthly somatic cell reports of the herd and of specific cows along with the analysis of milk per quarter are essential tools of a policy aiming to regain control over the health of herd. Today, many herds are more and more carriers of and affected by staphylococcus aureus.
ABOUT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS
This is by far the most difficult chronic problem to treat. It is important to set a plan in place and with our help and expertise; we can help you eliminate staph out of your herd without having to cull your high producing cows.
Analysis of the problem: analyzing the SCC profile of the herd by stage of lactation and maturity level will give us important insight as to where the problems may be coming from.
Examples:
1. When the somatic cell count and the number of affected cows is high from the start of lactation and especially starting in the very first lactation, one can, after eliminating accidental causes (wounded teats, etc.), look for the cause of the problem in milking procedures and milking equipment:
• Milking system: a new system, duration of milking, current variations, and causes of over-milking for certain animals.
• Imbalanced udders: often, quarters affected by acute or sub-acute mastitis are not fully treated, treatment is stopped as soon as the milk looks good, whatever the state of the udder. Or some quarters, swollen and congested due to liver overload (especially the rear right quarter) or pancreas overload (rear left quarter) remain unbalanced, creating an avoidable milking problem.
• Similarly, a difficult end of milking in cows with nitrogen excess (excess of soluble protein) or on the contrary a slow letdown due to en excess of rapidly fermentable sugars, can cause a milking problem that will weaken the teats and open the way for staphylococcus.
• Hygiene surrounding milking: teats should not be washed; they can be contaminated by the wash fluid; producers have noted that a teat bath with copula before milking could create more problems than a spray cleaning, with drying: the liquid in the copula can hardly reach the favourite zone for the staphylococcus, which is the fold situated between the udder and the upper side of the teat; in fact, the dirt dislodged from the rim of the udder by the wash fluid and may move towards the opening of the teat. The best solution is to clean and dry as much as possible the fold of the teat and proceed to a teat bath with copula after milking.
• Check for sucking among heifers. This is more frequent among demineralised animals: instead of treating them with minerals, we must increase their assimilation with MINSOL. To help rebalance the affected teats, see MAM3SOL and STRESSOL.
We must always remember that A HEALTHY TEAT can best repeal contamination by staphylococcus. This is why any teat problem must be addressed urgently: wound (STRESSOL, SCARSOL), leaky teats (MINSOL); avoid any technique that implies penetrating the teat (if dry off tubes must be used, extraordinary hygiene measures must be taken in order to avoid contamination. SEPTISOL must be given before and after).
If milk from this quarter is analyzed at this stage, what is often found is staphylococcus sp. (instead of aureus) which is easier to treat; the somatic cell count goes up and down regularly, there is spontaneous healing : this can be ruined by an inefficient antibiotic treatment, which will produce future resistance to antibiotics! (Protocols for non-resistant staphylococcus is described lower.)
2. When the somatic cell count of the herd is higher around the middle of lactation and especially among the high producers, the cause may be direct contamination, but one can suspect the presence of a resistant strains of staphylococcus aureus (treated in the past with antibiotics); this can be confirmed by milk analysis, and by the fact that even treated, the somatic cell count gets higher at each lactation, especially between 100 and 200 days. Subsequent antibiotic treatments will be futile. In fact, the animals must be desensitized with MAM2SOL (never give together with S.C.C.SOL) before any attempt at lowering the somatic cell count. (See below, protocol for resistant staphylococcus).
This type of cow has a tendency to demineralise, which explains their vulnerability in periods of peak production. They should be re-mineralised with MINSOL and MOD2SOL.
They are also subject to sub-acute mastitis (off and on lumps) (see EDEMASOL) and chronic mastitis (helped by demineralization, see MINSOL) through secondary infection in quarters weakened by resistant staphylococcus. Milk analysis will show the presence of other bacteria like streptococcus agalactiae, corynebacterium pyogenes, etc… This will lower production, milk quality, and possibly the loss of the quarter. Despite the high cow turn over rate, the number of infected cows are increasing and it is now an epidemic problem, with SCC around 400 000 in some herd, affecting the best producing cows.
It is recommended to do milk analysis at two essential times: 1. Just after calving; 2. When the SCC counts is up for a two months in a row (in the absence of another explanation, like an acute mastitis). Even before the test results are in you should isolate the cow in question at milking time. Protocol efficiency is conditional on correctly identifying the problem and the specific bacteria involved.
If careful analysis reveals that Scc counts increase at the end of the lactation period, we are dealing with cows with a tired or inefficient immune system, more often affected by acute mastitis or with a chronic inflammation problem (ex. arthritis or leg problems) or acidosis. Put another way, they have a chronic metabolic problem that must be addressed: acidosis or excess of sugars (MOD4SOL), excess of nitrogen (drain with LIVERSOL – DRAINSOL), unstable rumen (MOD6SOL). Often one must first stimulate the spleen and the immune system to lower the Scc count with S.C.C.SOL. Many subjects in this group are affected by leucosis.
You should understand that it is difficult but possible to treat chronic staphylococcus. We can help you. This is the procedure that we suggest:
• Use the individual and collective somatic cell profiles as tools to
• Find out which individuals should be tested (those showing an unjustified increased Scc count for two month in a row)
• Identify affected groups (beginning of lactation, etc.)
• Detect which subject have resisted antibiotic Protocols (with an unchanged Scc count at critical moments)
• Follow up and monitor all Protocols (by individual and group)
• Sample the milk after calving and after two successive monthly increases to the Scc count.
• Check the milking system and everything related to it, the hygiene of the milking process, the causes of sucking, udder unbalances and teat integrity.
• Do not feed calves with mastitis milk, especially after antibiotic protocols.
• Watch for embryo transfers from cows affected by resistant staphylococcus.
• Isolate possibly affected subjects at milking, milk them apart and carefully.
• Before administering homeopathic protocols, sort and choose your subjects:
o Do not pick animals you will cull soon, choose a set of 3 to 5 subjects that you will treat;
o Proceed to a standard milk analysis in order to identify the involved bacteria for each case; this will permit specific Protocols.
o Identify resistant and non-resistant cases;
o Identify subjects in and out of lactation period;
o Identify problematic groups, in relation to the beginning, middle or end of lactation;
o Take into account other conditions affecting the animals: mastitis, arthritis, fourth stomach, etc.
• Administer the protocols and keep the results of all somatic cell count reports.
• Treat small groups of animals, beginning with the less resistant; that way you will progressively regain control.