Description

Udder health in dairy cows is one of the farming domains which has been amply addressed in practical and research literature since many decades. The division between infectious agents transferred between cows (e.g. Strep agalactiae, Strep dysgalactiae) on the one hand, and infectious agents from the environment (e.g. coliforms) has been a breakthrough for the field. However, given the multifactorial background of mastitis, a holistic approach is warranted.
Such a holistic approach is in fact only possible by implementing a protocol-like approach on the dairy farm to avoid getting lost in the multitude of potential causes, agents, risk factors and treatment options.
In this lecture, this protocol-like approach is presented and discussed.
Basic for this is the routine monitoring of udder health parameters, such as bacteriological culture results, somatic cell counts, but also body condition, negative energy balance information, milking machine function.
Specific farm records are indispensable and are checked during each farm visit the vet makes in the context of a herd health programme. Udder health cannot be regarded as a stand-alone programme, because issues from other farming domains are involved (nutrition, management, hygiene).
The vet is strategically best positioned to support the farmer in improving the udder health status in the herd. Protocols aid in clarifying to the farmer what is being done (monitoring), when, how and when. The vet is a process coach in this respect.