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Mastitis
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Mastitis or inflammation of the milk glands in cattle is common in the Western Cape. Dairy farmers will recognise the following as symptoms of mastitis:
- The milk is watery or it may contain mucus, pus or even blood.
- The udder is swollen, hard, hot and sore.
- The cow has no appetite and is feverish.
Mastitis is caused by a wet climate, sawdust contaminated by dung, dirty water during milking and also by infected cows, which in turn infect others.
The important question is how to treat such a cow. To begin with, the right medicine must be injected into the udder. Then the udder can be rubbed softly and the milk expressed two or three time's daily. Such milk may never be used; it has to be buried.
Farmers often ask me whether the disease can be successfully avoided. The answer is of course "Yes", but then the farmer must do the following!
- Cut long hair on the cow's teats and wash dirty teats.
- Ensure that the milk is absolutely clean.
- Never touch a cow's teats with sore or dirty hands.
- Sick cows may never graze with healthy cows or be milked together with them.
G Brand
ELSENBURG Veterinary Services
