Effective antibiotics for mastitis in cows

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Mastitis is an inflammatory process in the mammary glands. In cows, this disease is not uncommon. Especially susceptible to such an ailment are cattle kept on large farms and standing in tethered stalls. But pets are no exception. The milk of a sick cow is unfit for consumption, and dairy and sour-milk products cannot be made from it.

Causes of mastitis in cows

This disease develops for a variety of reasons. The first symptoms may appear after childbirth. Sometimes inflammation is caused by taking medications in the treatment of other diseases, for example, an increase in the endometrium of the uterus. After the transferred infections, there is a decrease in immunity and the body's resistance to pathogenic microflora. This happens most often during lactation, at start-up, but it also occurs during dry period.

Alsoa number of the following causes contribute to the disease:

• mechanical injury to the udder or teats only;
• incorrect milking procedure, not fully milked;
• penetration of microbes or inflammation that has begun from the nipple canals;
• infection through the blood of an animal;
• diseases of the reproductive system of the cow;
• wrong diet (only silage, adding stillage or spent grains, lack of hay);
• lack of physical activity (when tethered);
• non-observance of sanitary and hygienic standards (untimely cleaning of manure, bedding not poured, the room is not adapted for the proper keeping of cows, the presence of drafts, etc.).

How to recognize if a cow has mastitis?

The animal needs special supervision in the first months at launch and after calving. During this period, it is necessary to carefully examine and check the udder, at least 2 times a week. When redness on the nipple begins, you need to conduct a test milking. If there are flakes in the milk, then mastitis has begun. During the launch, in the second month, the cow's milk burns out. At this time, 3 or 4 ml of a special secret can be squeezed out of the nipples, resembling honey in consistency. If the extruded mass is liquid and gray in color, then this is mastitis.

In the postpartum period for 5 or 7 days, the cow has colostrum secretion. It needs to be checked. Take 1 glass and put in a cold place for an hour. In the presence of mastitis, colostrum will exfoliate. Milka cow suffering from mastitis is not given a calf. Usually, in the milk of an individual suffering from this disease, clots, flakes, purulent inclusions, and sometimes blood are clearly visible.

But there are still hidden forms of the disease, when it is difficult to determine by milk whether a cow is sick or not. In such cases, add 20 drops of a 10% solution of the drug "Mastidin" to a liter of milk and mix thoroughly with a wooden stick. If the result is a jelly-like mass, then the animal is sick.

Symptoms of the disease

Sick cow experiences pain during milking, the amount of milk is noticeably reduced. The animal loses its appetite, looks tired, inactive. The lymph glands are enlarged, udder swelling, redness of the nipples appear. The temperature rises in the painful area. Thickened nipples. Milk contains flakes and lumps. Sometimes a pale liquid flows instead of milk.

In some varieties of the disease, pus and blood are found. With different types of mastitis, several other symptoms are added.

Types of mastitis

1. subclinical. It is distributed mainly in large farms. Sometimes affects the entire livestock. The only visible sign is an increase in the lymph nodes above the udder. It is extremely rare at home. It can be detected using the "Kenotest" reagent or when milk is handed over for bacteriological examination to the laboratory.

2. Serous. With this form of mastitis, only one lobe of the udder is affected. Highlyit is very rare when inflammation affects several at once. Occurs due to injuries or improper milking.

3. catarrhal. Occurs during traumatic milking of the nipple, when the infection passes along the ascending from the hole to the depth. A characteristic symptom of this type is blockage of the nipple opening with cheesy exudate. Udder knotting appears.

4. Fibronous. It develops as a result of complications in the catarrhal form, in the case of infection from purulent pericarditis or endometritis. Often accompanied by a complete lack of milk, the presence of fibrin in it.

5. Purulent. With this form of the disease, abscesses and phlegmon are formed on the udder. The temperature at the site of inflammation is greatly increased, after the breakthrough of the abscess, a fistula is formed, with pressure on which a lot of pus is released. Milk has a bitter taste and a reddish tint.

Treatment of mastitis with antibiotics

Before using antibiotics, it is necessary to determine exactly what type of infection caused the inflammatory process. To do this, you need to conduct research on the microflora of milk in a veterinary laboratory. The specialist will select the necessary medications and their possible combinations. Antibiotic treatment for mastitis can be carried out by the owner at home on their own.

Drugs are administered to animals in three main ways. The easiest way is intramuscular injection. Use this introduction of antibiotics for mastitis with a common infectiousintoxication. Strong drugs are prescribed: Nitoks or Bicilin-5.

In intramammary injection, the suspension is injected directly into the udder itself. Solutions are sold in ready-made syringes-tubes. For example, such antibiotics for mastitis as "Gamaret" or "Mastisan" are effective. The main requirement before introducing the suspension into the udder lobe is to completely free it from the milk filling it.

The following method of administering drugs requires some training and is considered to be very effective. In this case, an antibiotic for mastitis of cows is introduced when setting up a novocaine blockade over the udder zone.

Drugs for the treatment of mastitis

What antibiotics will help in the treatment of such a dangerous disease? A complex of medicines that can help an animal is prescribed only by a veterinarian. After a study in the laboratory of milk, a bacterium is detected that led to inflammation. Depending on the type of microbes, the following antibiotics are prescribed for cow mastitis:

1. "Maximax" is a drug that is in a dosing syringe. Used for introduction into the tank. It has a good antimicrobial effect against staphylococci, streptococci, proteus, corynebacteria, pathogenic anaerobes, etc.

2. "Benstrep" - contained in a glass bottle. It has a synergistic effect of two components in its composition. These are benzylpenicillin procaine and dihydrostreptomycin sulfate. They complementeach other and increase the antimicrobial effect on gram-positive bacteria.

3. "Penmicin" - in its composition also has benzylpenicillin procaine and neomycin sulfate. In contact, these two substances enhance the effect of the antibiotic in mastitis, affecting gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. However, the drug has no effect on viruses and fungal infections.

4. "Dorin" is an active antimicrobial drug. Affects microorganisms of udder exudate. During the experiment, scientists found that with mastitis, treatment with the Dorin antibiotic takes about 2 days; first give a dose of 10 ml, and on the second day - 5 ml. Fast, efficient and inexpensive.

When are antibiotics used?

In the acute form of the disease, treatment of mastitis in cows with antibiotics is prescribed when the temperature of the animal rises. Preparations "Masticin", "Mastisan", "Penersin" are injected with a catheter into the affected area of the udder. The treatment is carried out within 3 or 4 days, however, the milk is suitable for food only 5 days after the end of the treatment. There are a number of strong antibiotics that are excreted from the body of a cow for a whole month. You need to consult a veterinarian and carefully read the instructions for use.

In chronic purulent form of mastitis, antibiotic treatment does not always bring the expected effect. With the development of atrophy of the parenchyma, the milk ductsovergrown with connective tissue, cannot be restored, and also provoke the spread of infection further, to the entire body of the udder.

Complex treatment

It is necessary to cure mastitis in cows with antibiotics in combination with additional active actions. Their work is based on the elimination of infection. After that, it is necessary to restore the immune system of the animal. In the acute form of the disease, in addition to antibiotics, other methods are used. Concomitant types of treatment for mastitis are the introduction of a liquid solution of streptocide into a vein, intravenous infusion of a 1% solution of streptocide, 2-5% ichthyol, or 1:5000 furatsilina.

In severe forms of mastitis, along with antibiotics, a 40% glucose solution, a 10% solution of calcium chloride or calcium gluconate 100-150 ml are administered intravenously. Another 0.25% solution of novocaine based on saline is added at the rate of 0.5-1 ml per kilogram of animal body weight.

Also additionally make applications with anixide, valeter. It is possible to use ichthyol or camphor ointments. The physical methods of additional therapy include the use of cold at the beginning. On the 3rd-5th day, the doctor prescribes paraffin or ozocerite warming compresses. You can also heat with an infrared lamp.

Udder massage

When mastitis is very important to massage the udder and all teats. Each time before milking, you need to wipe the udder with warm water and gently massage each teat in turn, pushing it up. With fibrous and serous mastitis, while there is no pain during milking, it is necessary to carry out the procedure 2 times a day,starting from the bottom. With catarrh, on the contrary, from above. With hemorrhagic form, massage should not be done.

Prevention of mastitis in cows

In order for animals not to suffer from mastitis, owners must observe sanitary hygiene standards. It is required to keep the cows clean, to milk them to the end, not to leave a single drop of milk on the nipples. It is better to disinfect teats after milking in 1% iodine chloride solution.

Before a cow is stopped milking, you need to limit succulent feed. Reduce the number of milkings gradually. First a few days 1 time, then every other day. When no more than half a liter of milk is given out, milking can be stopped.

Advice! During dry periods, check for mastitis as a preventive measure. It is better to prevent a disease than to treat it later!