2. Subject to the same diseases and parasites as beef cattle
However, dairy cattle do have some health considerations
that need to be emphasized
3.
4.
5. Needs to be developed for maintaining the health of the
dairy herd
Effective plans put emphasis on the prevention of problems
Vet services should be used on a regular and planned basis
A regular planned program of testing and vaccination
should be carried out for the herd for
o Brucellosis
o Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR)
o Bovine Virus Diarrhea (BVD)
o Parainfluenza-3 (PI3)
6. Keep health records
Follow a parasite control program
Follow a planned program for mastitis control
Keep accurate reproduction records
Follow a planned calf health care plan
7. Proper feeding of the herd
Good facilities with ventilation
Using dry, clean bedding
Proper cleaning and sanitation
Controlling disease carriers-flies,
birds, rodents
Raising replacements needed
for the herd
Requiring health records of
replacement animals and
isolating them for 30 days
Isolating sick animals
Using a vet
Controlling access to dairy herds
Require visitors to wear
protective footwear
Do not allow visitors unlimited
access to where cattle are kept
Have bulk milk and feed delivery
points as far away from cows as
possible
8. Designed to help dairy farmers produce high
quality milk
Participation is voluntary
Developed by the National Milk Producers
Federation and the American Veterinary Medical
Association
Producers are certified by going through a 10 point
check list of management practices with a
Veterinarian
9. Program identifies critical control points that help herd
owners produce a high quality product
Emphasis is placed on following a preventative health
program
10.
11. Serious economic problem
Causes losses by
o Lowering milk production from infected cows
o Increasing the cull rate in the herd
o The cost of treatment
o Loss of infected milk that must be thrown away
o Increased labor cost to treat infected cows
o Possible loss of permit to sell milk if infection becomes
serious enough
12. Caused by bacteria that enter the udder through the teat
opening
Bacteria may also enter through injury to the teat
May be acute or chronic
13. Inflamed udder
Swollen, hot, hard, tender quarter
Drop in milk production
Abnormal milk
o Lumpy, stringy, straw-colored, contains blood, yellow
clots
Cow goes off feed, shows depression, dull eyes,
rough hair, chills
Death may result
14. Abnormal milk-clots, flakes, watery
Slight swelling and hardness of udder that comes and goes
Sudden decrease in milk production
15. May not show any symptoms
Often not treated
Sometimes does not respond to treatment
More of an economic problem than the acute form
Both acute and chronic mastitis may cause permanent
udder damage
16. White blood cells that fight infection
Mastitis increases their presence
17. Somatic cells are leukocytes and other blood cells
All normal milk contains some somatic cells
Goal of the dairy herd should be an average of no
more than 150,000-200,000 cells per milliliter
90% of the herd should be below 200,000 cells per
milliliter
Somatic cell count can vary greatly from month to
month in cows that have mastitis infection
18. Daily per head losses increase as somatic cell counts
increase
o Ranging from 1.5 lbs at 72,000 cells/milliliter to 6.0 lbs at over 1
million cells/milliliter
Somatic cells counts over 500,000 usually indicated a
bacteria infection, a cow in late lactation, udder injury or an
old cow
Problem cows should be culled
19. Picked up at the farm it cannot have a somatic cell count
exceeding 750,000 cells/milliliter
Violation results in the loss of the farms Grade A permit
20. Several test
Most common is the California Mastitis Test (CMT)
Used to test the herd for mastitis and should be used at
least once a month
21. A small paddle with 4 cups is used
About 1 teaspoon of the first milk from each
quarter is placed in each cup, each quarter must
be checked separately
A chemical that reacts with the milk is placed in
each cup
The presence of leukocytes is shown by the
reaction
o Slight precipitation show a low count
o A heavy gel and purple color show a high count
24. The following practices should be followed for an
effective mastitis control program:
o Maintain milking equipment in proper operating
condition
o Practice proper milking procedures
o Identify the bacteria causing the infection and
determine the extent of the infection in the herd
o Promptly treat identified cases of mastitis
o Treat all quarters of cows when at drying off time
o Cull cows with chronic mastitis problems that do not
respond treatment
25. Also called DA
Condition where the abomasums moves out of place in the
abdominal cavity
More common in dairy cattle than beef
Majority of cases occur shortly after calving
Symptoms
o Poor appetite
o Reduced fecal discharge
o Soft or pasty feces
o Diarrhea
o Drop in milk production
o Dull, listless, thin appearance
26. Type of ration being fed appears to be involved
Too rapid an increase in grain feeding just before
calving increases the chance of DA
Poor quality, moldy roughage or too much silage in
the ration also increase DA
Do not over feed silage and concentrates to dry
cows
Increase the amount of concentrate slowly at
calving time
27. A condition in which the placenta is not discharged within
12-24 hours after calving
Normal for 10-12% of dairy cows
o A higher rate indicates a problem that needs attention
28. Infection in the reproductive tract during pregnancy
Deficiencies of vitamin A or E, iodine, and selenium
Calcium to phosphorus ratio in diet out of balance
Cow too fat
Stress at calving
Breeding a cow too soon after calving
Good management is the best practice to prevent
retained placenta.
29. Nutritional disorder in dairy cattle
Blood sugar drops to a low level
Caused by not feeding enough high energy feeds to meet
the cows needs for high milk production
Usually occurs in the first 6-8 weeks after calving
30. Cows go off feed shortly after calving
Drop in milk production
Loss in body weight
Cows become dull and listless
Odor of acetone in breath, urine and milk
31. Feed a properly balanced ration
Common Treatments
o Glucose injections into the bloodstream
o Hormone injections (cortisone or adrenocorticotrophic hormone)
o Oral feeding of propylene glycol or sodium propionate
Feeding molasses will not cure Ketosis
32. Infection of the uterus
Affects cows within 1-10 days after calving
Higher rate is seen in cows that are too fat at calving
33. Loss of appetite
Fever
Drop in milk production
Abnormal (thick, cloudy, grey, foul odor) discharge from the
vulva
Standing with the back arched
In severe cases, rapid death
34. Feed a properly balanced ration to dry cows
Keep the calving area clean and sanitary
Treat with intrauterine antibiotic drugs
35. Parturient paresis
Caused by a shortage of calcium salts in the blood
More common in older, high producing cows
Usually occurs within a few days after calving
36. Loss of appetite
Reduction in quantity of feces passed
In early stages excitement
Staggering
Depression
Cold skin, dry muzzle
Paralysis
Lies on brisket with head turned back toward side
Later stages, lies on side with head stretched out
Bloating
Death, if not treated
37. Feed a balanced ration to dry cows with the correct
calcium-phosphorus ratio
Treat by intravenous injection of calcium
38. Follow a regular program of treatment
All mature dairy cows should be treated for worms after
each lactation
Replacement heifers should be wormed near the end of
their pregnancy
39. Use care when using insecticides on the dairy
Use only insecticides approved for dairy animals and
facilities
Follow label directions carefully to avoid illegal residues in
the milk
40. Effective herd health plan emphasizes prevention
Good management helps prevent health problems
Mastitis is the most serious disease that affects
dairy cattle
Use care when using drugs to avoid illegal residues
in the milk
Good herd health plans increase net profits
Control internal and external parasites.