Mastitis is the inflammation of the udder due to bacterial or fungal infection. Clinical signs can include swollen and/or hot udder and/or discoloured milk (clear, brown, red, yellow, black) and/or clots in milk.

You must wear milking gloves, and disinfect your hands regularly. Pay attention to each surface you contact ensuring you do not transfer bacteria to other surfaces, other cows, or other quarters.

The procedure has two stages. Stage 1 (Day 1) - identify cow with clinical symptoms of mastitis, take milk sample, check cow temperature and treat with inflammatory . Stage 2 (Day 2-5) treating cow with correct antibiotic for the type of infection.

Day 1 : Paint cow with Orange paint to identify the cow and quarter as having a possible mastitis infection. (See Blue Mountain Dairies paint marking system).

Check and confirm animal’s health history.

Take a milk sample from the infected quarter, (follow the ‘Take a Milk Sample SOP’) label it with the cows’ number, date and deliver to Office for analysis by the Mastatest system.

Milk the cow; ensure that the cow has milked out properly. It may be necessary to hand strip the cow after milking. If you hand strip, ensure that you teat spray the cow and disinfect your hands with Teat Spray or Aseptol.

Take and record the cow’s temperature. If the cow has a temperature above 39.5 inform your manager or 2IC. The cow will be treated with the Toxaemic Mastitis SOP.

Treat cow with Ketoprofen.

Day 2: When the information has been received from the Mastatest confirming infection, identify the correct drug for treatment. Currently Ultraclox is the drug usually recommended. Continue to Stage 2 of this SOP.

Milk the cow; ensure that the cow has milked out properly. It may be necessary to hand strip the cow after milking. If you hand strip ensure that you teat spray the cow and disinfect your hands with Teat Spray or Aseptol.

Clean teat end with teat wipe, it should be clean enough to lick. (don’t lick it!)

Paint the cow with Red Paint to identify as cow on milk withholding treatment. ALWAYS complete this prior to administering treatment.

Wipe the end of the teat of the infected quarter with a teat wipe. Insert the nozzle the intra-mammary tube into the teat end of the infected quarter, no further than 3 mm, use semi-insertion tip as inserting too far may cause damage the teat.

Infuse the contents of the intra mammary tube into the infected quarter. After removing the tube, hold the bottom end of the teat while massaging the teat upwards.

Spray all quarters with Teat Spray.

Spray your hands with Teat Spray or Aseptol to disinfect.

Treat cow with Metacam (Day 2 Only).

Record all treatments and quarters treated.

Repeat Intra-Mammary infusion every twenty-four (24) hours (daily AM milking) for three (3) consecutive treatments.

On day four (4), check the cow for clinical signs of continued infection; if a clinical infection is present, repeat Intra-Mammary infusion every twenty-four (24) hours (daily AM milking) for three (3) consecutive treatments.

Enter all treatments into Delpro so all Withholding periods are attached to the cow.

Ensure all Milk Withhold and Meat withhold periods are observed