IndexCauses of Mastitis in Dairy CowsSymptoms of MastitisHow to Treat MastitisHow to Prevent the Spread of MastitisConclusionReferences:Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland in the udder. It occurs when bacteria enter the breast and cause damage to the ducts and tracts that secrete milk in the breast. It usually occurs when bacteria enter the breast through the teat canal. Mastitis can cause permanent damage to a cow's udder. “If cows recover from mastitis, serious problems can occur for the remainder of the lactation” (AHBD Dairy, 2019). Mastitis comes in many forms which include clinical, subclinical, chronic, e-coli, acute, acute and subacute mastitis. Cows can contract the disease in many ways. Hygiene is the most important way to control mastitis within a dairy herd. It can be spread from cow to cow, inadequate bedding, poor milk hygiene practices and failure to milk the cow completely. Cows that have been infected with mastitis will usually have higher somatic cell counts than cows that have not been infected. The use of antibiotics should be limited to the most severe cases, prevention is not necessarily the best course of action. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Causes of Mastitis in Dairy Cows Poor milking practices when milking cows play a major role in infecting cows with mastitis. A set procedure should be established when milking cows, teats should be washed and dried before placing them in the cup. Wearing gloves can also help reduce the chances that a cow has been infected with mastitis. The teat solution should be used even after “manufacturers have developed highly effective germicidal products that reduce the incidence of mastitis by 50 to 95%” (Nickerson, 2001). During the drying period of nursing cows, it is advisable to dry the cow tubes and teat sealant to prevent the teats from contracting dirt in the milk secretion ducts. During periods of dry weather, farmers should not wash teats as wet teats are more likely to contract mastitis. Prevention is the most important way to fight mastitis. It is important to cull cows with high SCC or those who commonly contract mastitis. Bedding conditions are important: having poor or dirty bedding will lead to an increase in mastitis. When cows are indoors cases will increase, to prevent this from happening, waste and lime cubicles twice a day. Maintenance of the milking machine is very important, the tires and sheaths wear out and this causes them to slip when placed on the teat. This in turn will allow dirt to enter the cluster. Every 2000 milkings the sheaths should be changed (Mastitis, n.d.) Symptoms of Mastitis As mentioned in the previous paragraph, mastitis comes in many forms clinical, subclinical, chronic, e-coli, acute, acute and subacute mastitis. The most overlooked symptoms are swelling, warmth, hardness, redness or pain and a watery appearance, flakes, clots or pus in the milk. One way for farmers to know if mastitis is present is to strip the cows every day or visually inspect the udders. Another way to know if mastitis is present California Mastitis Test (CMT). CMT “identifies subclinical mastitis by estimating milk somatic cell counts (SCC) and CellCheck.” Cows with mastitis may begin to shed.