6.23 NDS Cost of Mastitis
Overall, producers are spending $16,508 to $182,581 per 100 cows/year on mastitis-related costs.
Mastitis
Mastitis is the most prevalent and costly disease in dairy herds, negatively affecting cattle health and welfare as well as production. Both clinical and subclinical mastitis can result in significant economic losses due to reduced milk production and quality, discarded milk, culling of animals, and prevention and treatment expenses. Intramammary infections also lead to considerable usage of antimicrobials and represent a concern for antimicrobial resistance. Additionally, many management practices overlook non-lactating heifers, as they are assumed to be mastitis-free.
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In this month’s first research summary, the Canadian National Dairy study determined the herd-level cost of mastitis on Canadian dairy farms to better inform management decisions. In the second research summary, the incidence rates of clinical and subclinical mastitis were compared between heifers and multiparous cows on Canadian dairy farms.
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6.24 UCVM Heifer Mastitis
This study demonstrated an overall benefit to udder health in heifers when using any kind of pre-calving preventative treatment.