about dairy herd herd health

1.  
M Asfar ZamanRoll no 106

2.  Subject to the same diseases and parasites as beef cattle
 However, dairy cattle do have some health considerations
that need to be emphasized

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

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

23.  Lab
 Chemical
 Electronic

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.