A Comparison of Dry Period Outcomes after Selective Dry Cow Therapy Carried Out by Farm Staff versus Veterinary Students in a Low-Cell-Count Dairy Herd
Abstract
:Simple Summary
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Farm Details and Background
2.2. Student Training Sessions
- Between 2019 and 2022, practical teaching sessions on drying off cows were carried out for a proportion of the autumn calving blocks during the summer months. These were performed on given teaching days on those cows due to be dried off at that time, making them a convenience sample. The trainees were final-year veterinary students on a rotation and first-year qualified veterinarians on an internship programme. Most students and interns on the course had never dried off cows before. The practical sessions in the parlour were preceded by a seminar on selective dry cow therapy and a practical session on a model udder.
- Between two and four students took part in each training session, with six to ten cows dried off on a single day, so most individual students dried off between two and four cows. One cow was dried off at a time, and all students were closely supervised by one of the authors (PP) during the whole of the procedure.
- Cows to be dried off were separated at morning milking to re-enter the washed-down herringbone parlour afterwards.
- All tubes, cotton wool and spirit were stored in closed containers or packaging, avoiding contamination during the process.
- Cows had been allocated by the farmer to either antibiotic or non-antibiotic treatment according to the criteria in the health plan set up with the local veterinarian, and a list was provided.
- New nitryl gloves were worn by all students which were either washed with warm water or changed between cows.
- A pre-milking teat disinfectant was applied via a dip cup to all four teats and kept on for at least 30 s, then wiped off with a clean paper towel, one towel per cow.
- Teats were wiped with cotton wool swabs soaked in surgical spirit, with new swabs used until no soiling of the cotton wool was visible, but with a minimum of two swabs per teat. One hand was holding the base of the teat, the other applying the swab in a rotating movement under gentle pressure, concentrating on the area of the teat end. To avoid subsequent contamination, wiping was started with the teats away from the operator, followed by the wiping of the near teats. Milk was then stripped out a couple of times to visualise the teat orifice.
- In those cows due to receive an antimicrobial, one tube containing cephalonium (Cepravin Dry CowTM) was infused into every quarter, using the partial insertion technique. This started at the teats closest to the operator, followed by those far away. Once infusion was complete the quarter was massaged gently, facilitating diffusion of the product. Teats were wiped with a single swab per teat before applying the teat sealant.
- All cows received an internal teat sealant containing bismuth subnitrate (OrbesealTM), either as a standalone treatment or after infusion of the antimicrobial product. This started at the teats nearest to the operator and again was done using the partial insertion technique, inserting the tip of the nozzle only to avoid teat damage. During the infusion the base of the teat was “clamped” using the thumb and index or middle finger in order to retain the sealant within the teat.
- After insertion, a post-milking teat disinfectant was applied using a spray.
- All dried off cows were marked with three red tapes around the tail.
- After drying off the cows were moved through a race and crush where they received an oral liver fluke treatment containing triclabendazole, before being moved onto a pasture. They had no access to a lying area for at least 30 min.
- Cow number, date, treatments given and the name of the student were all recorded and later entered into an ExcelTM spreadsheet.
2.3. Criteria for Selective Dry Cow Therapy
2.4. Data Management and Statistical Evaluation
- -
- Somatic cell counts post-calving
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- Dry period new infection rates
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- Dry period cure rates
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- Clinical mastitis post-calving
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- Survival in the herd
3. Results
3.1. Dry Periods Enrolled and Test for Bias
3.2. Results of the Multivariable Analysis
- At least one high SCC within 90 days of the following lactation;
- At least one case of clinical masitis within 90 days of the following lactation;
- Dry period cure rate;
- Dry period new infection rate;
- Survival in the herd after six months.
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Parameter | Farm Staff | Students | p-Value |
---|---|---|---|
Overall | |||
% with at least one SCC over 200,000/mL within 90 days post-partum | 23 (41/175) | 25 (32/130) | 0.648 |
% with clinical mastitis within 90 days post-partum | 14 (24/171) | 10 (13/129) | 0.373 |
Dry period cure rates | 83 (15/18) | 61 (11/18) | 0.212 |
Dry period new infection rates | 14 (22/158) | 17 (16/94) | 0.313 |
% of cows in herd six months after drying off | 91 (120/132) | 93 (110/118) | 0.377 |
% of cows in herd twelve months after drying off | 83 (110/132) | 90 (106/118) | <0.001 |
Cows dried off without antimicrobials: | |||
% with at least one SCC over 200,000/mL within 90 days post-partum | 21 (28/132) | 19 (17/91) | 0.857 |
% with clinical mastitis within 90 days post-partum | 12 (15/130) | 8 (7/90) | 0.284 |
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Plate, P.; van Winden, S. A Comparison of Dry Period Outcomes after Selective Dry Cow Therapy Carried Out by Farm Staff versus Veterinary Students in a Low-Cell-Count Dairy Herd. Animals 2023, 13, 2318. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13142318
Plate P, van Winden S. A Comparison of Dry Period Outcomes after Selective Dry Cow Therapy Carried Out by Farm Staff versus Veterinary Students in a Low-Cell-Count Dairy Herd. Animals. 2023; 13(14):2318. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13142318
Chicago/Turabian StylePlate, Peter, and Steven van Winden. 2023. "A Comparison of Dry Period Outcomes after Selective Dry Cow Therapy Carried Out by Farm Staff versus Veterinary Students in a Low-Cell-Count Dairy Herd" Animals 13, no. 14: 2318. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13142318
APA StylePlate, P., & van Winden, S. (2023). A Comparison of Dry Period Outcomes after Selective Dry Cow Therapy Carried Out by Farm Staff versus Veterinary Students in a Low-Cell-Count Dairy Herd. Animals, 13(14), 2318. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13142318