We are quite close to the application date of the new Regulation on Veterinary Medicinal Products, scheduled for 28 January 2022. Thus, we are closer to the forced transition to the selective dry cow therapy (SDCT).
SDCT allows the dairy farmer to identify and individually treat cows or quarters likely to be infected at dry-off. Recently, scientific research has been able to verify whether SDCT could be successful in protecting udder health and to describe its effect on antimicrobial use and profitability.
Not all dairy herds are ready for SDCT. As a consequence, an important work on management improvement must be done in the next few months to get ready for the new regulatory framework. We discussed previously how it is possibile to understand whether our dairy herd could be ready or not for SDCT1.
We also stressed the importance of a correct procedure for milk cessation. A gradual milk cessation will help protect udder health, further reducing the occurence of intra-mammary infections in the future lactation2.
At OZOLEA, we also thought about how dairy farmers could further reduce the use of antibiotics at dry-off. Thanks to its versatility, OZOLEA-MAST can be applied in a selective dry cow treatment in those herd eligible for this procedure.
The decision-making process to understant what cows can be dried off with OZOLEA-MAST follows the general rules for SDCT.
One may wonder what the advantage of applying OZOLEA-MAST at dry-off is, and how to do it.
To answer the first question, OZOLEA conducted a field trial on a farm with a herd eligible for SDCT. As for the second one, OZOLEA prepared a specific protocol (M8. Udder, dry-off: selective dry cow treatment).
Selective dry cow treatment: field data for the use of OZOLEA-MAST
As part of its field activity, OZOLEA collected data on the use of OZOLEA-MAST in selective dry cow treatment (SDCT), applied according to the specific protocol for dry-off, to investigate the effects on somatic cell count (SCC) during the first four months after calving.
The results were compared with the effects on SCC in case of a conventional intra-mammary antibiotic treatment.
A total of 60 lactating dairy cows were assessed. One group was administered with OZOLEA-MAST (30 cows, Group O) and the other group was given a conventional antibiotic treatment (30 cows, Group A) at dry-off. Regardless of the procedure used, all cows in both groups were eligible for SDCT in terms of health and SCC. The antibiotic treatment was conducted as per manufacturer’s indications. Milk SCC values were measured monthly during the following lactation for four months after calving.
As shown in Figure 1, group O showed no statistical differences as for SCC values with Group A during the first two months after calving, while during third and fourth months, Group O showed a lower average SCC level compared to the cows treated with antibiotics.
As shown in Figure 1, the group of cows treated with OZOLEA-MAST displayed no statistically significant differences in somatic cell count data compared to those treated with the antibiotic for the first two months after calving. In the third and fourth month, however, there is a statistically significant difference between the two groups of cows: in particular, the cows treated with OZOLEA-MAST showed a lower average of somatic cells than those treated with antibiotics.
In this work, the results showed that OZOLEA-MAST can be a possible alternative to conventional antibiotic therapies at dry-off, further contributing to the reduction of antimicrobials in dairy cattle. Furthermore, the statistical differences shown during the third and fourth months after calving are a clear indication of better milk quality, which would benefit profitability for both farmers and processors.
Globally, the use of OZOLEA-MAST is an effective strategy for tackling AMR, further protecting food consumers.
How to use OZOLEA-MAST at dry-off
As discussed above, the first thing is to check the cows and quarters eligible for the selective procedure. Before drying-off, it is essential to reduce milk production according to a correct procedure, keeping in mind that udder health must be protected also while ceasing milk production, involving the veterinarian in this process.
Then, once ready for drying-off, we will apply one intra-mammary applicator per quarter after the second to last milking and one intra-mammary applicator per quarter after the last milking.
We will check the results by monitoring the behavior in the following lactation and, if possible, by detecting the values of differential SCCs in periodic functional checks3.
1 Blanket dry cow therapy, ban on prophylaxis from January 2022. Any alternative? Selective treatment.
2 A suitable drying-off procedure helps protect udder health.
https://www.ozolea.it/a-suitable-drying-off-procedure-helps-protect-udder-health/
3 DSCC: another useful tool to strategically tackle AMR in dairy farming?
https://www.ozolea.it/dscc-another-useful-tool-to-strategically-tackle-amr-in-dairy-farming/
