On U.S. dairy operations, mastitis remains the costliest disease, driven by expenses for antibiotic treatments and losses in saleable milk.1 Fortunately, effective mastitis treatment regimens are available, helping producers return cows to the milking string sooner.
Among the options, short-duration treatment stands out as a targeted, science-backed solution that eliminates infections efficiently and minimizes overall antibiotic use.
“The science says short-duration treatment works,” said Curt Vlietstra, DVM, Boehringer Ingelheim. “Not only do the cows appreciate short-duration treatment, the farmer’s checkbook appreciates it, too.”
What is short-duration treatment?
In the past, many producers treated mastitis until a cow’s milk appeared visually normal (or when inflammation was gone). But treating until udder inflammation subsides can cause producers to over-treat with antibiotics.
“If the infection was there for two to three days, it’s going to take the cow an additional two to three days after the infection is gone to heal,” stated Dr. Vlietstra. “The body typically takes longer to heal than it does to eliminate the infection. But there is no reason to spend more money on treatments during that time of residual inflammation.”
Short-duration treatment is designed to eliminate mastitis without unnecessary antibiotic use. Research shows that if an antibiotic is effective against the pathogen, two to three treatments are typically enough to clear the infection.2 At that point, the focus shifts from treatment to allowing the cow’s natural healing process to take over. Extending treatment beyond what is necessary does not speed up recovery — instead, it prolongs milk discard time, increases costs and raises the risk of introducing new bacteria into the teat.
Figure 1: Bacteria typically peak early in mastitis cases, then decline. The inflammation of mastitis is present far beyond the infection’s resolution.
Tackle mastitis strategically
“When we see abnormal milk, we feel like the right thing to do is to treat the cow,” Dr. Vlietstra pointed out. “But not all mastitis cases need an antibiotic treatment to be resolved. With the help of a culturing, we’re able to determine if there are bacteria present or not.”
For mild to moderate cases, using culturing to identify what class of bacteria is causing the quarter infection can help guide treatment decisions. Generally, mastitis cases can be divided into three classifications:
- No-growth: A no-growth case means that no bacteria are present, often because the cow has cleared the infection on her own. Antibiotic treatment is not necessary.
- Gram-negative: Most mild or moderate Gram-negative mastitis cases, including those caused by E. coli, will self-cure, and antibiotic treatment will not alter the outcome.3
- Gram-positive: Gram-positive mastitis cases do require antibiotic treatment, and can become chronic if left untreated.
“Think about when you sent in a culture sample because the milk looked abnormal, but the cow appeared fine, and the culture came back with no bacterial growth,” suggested Dr. Vlietstra. “That’s clear evidence that inflammation can occur without an active infection.”
Between no-growth and Gram-negative cases, approximately 60% of the time, a mastitis case will typically resolve without treatment.3,4 By adopting a culture-based system alongside short-duration treatment, there is opportunity to reduce antibiotic use and reduce the length of time treated cows spend in the hospital pen.
When a cow does need help fighting a Gram-positive mastitis case, look for a short-duration antibiotic labeled for the most-common Gram-positive pathogens.
Overcome challenges of adopting short-duration treatment
In some cases, new farm employees unfamiliar with short-duration treatment may default to overtreating, assuming a longer regimen is better. “This is an area where there’s protocol drift,” said Dr. Vlietstra. “It takes constant training, retraining and reminding.”
To successfully implement short-duration therapy, Dr. Vlietstra suggests:
- Working closely with a veterinarian to develop farm-specific mastitis treatment protocols based on bacterial culture results.
- Tracking treatment records to evaluate success and ensure cows are recovering as expected.
- Revisiting the importance of treating only the quarter infection, not the lingering inflammation, with employees regularly.
“Although it may feel safer to continue treatments until milk is back to normal, the right thing to do for the cow is fewer treatments, and the right thing to do scientifically is fewer treatments,” stressed Dr. Vlietstra. “Those two things add up to being good economic decisions.”
Mastitis prevention reduces the need for treatment
While effective treatment plans are critical, the best approach to manage mastitis is to prevent infections before they start. This begins with proper hygiene in both the pens and parlor. Providing cows with clean, dry bedding and well-maintained pens, along with hygienic milking procedures in the parlor, limits bacterial exposure.
By reducing the overall risk of mastitis and implementing short-duration treatment when needed, producers have the opportunity to lower antibiotic use and keep more milk in the tank. “When we can get cows back into the string and throw away less milk for antibiotic withholdings, that’s where the real money comes from,” concluded Dr. Vlietstra.
About Boehringer Ingelheim - Animal Health business
Boehringer Ingelheim provides innovation for preventing and treating diseases in animals. The company offers a wide range of vaccines, parasite-control products, and medicines for pets, horses, and livestock to veterinarians, animal owners, farmers, and governments. As a leader in animal health, Boehringer Ingelheim values that the health of humans and animals is deeply connected and strives to make a difference for people, animals, and society.
Learn more at www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/us/animal-health.
