Watch Video and revise this "Knowby" with your team before every Dry Cow Therapy Session. Click Here To View Video
Ensure the tail has been trimmed, there should be no long hair or manure.
Clean the yards and dairy, organise all the equipment to complete dry cow therapy.
Dry Cow Treatment/Therapy
Gloves
Aprons and containers
Chlorhexidine disinfectant and spray bottles
70% methylated spirit solution
Cottonwool buds
Cow ID checklist/pen
Paint
Drench & Vaccines (If required) -True-Test RFID scanner
Load all of the cows onto the platform.
IF TEATS ARE CLEAN SKIP THIS STEP -Clean heavily soiled teats with miking teat wipe using a different/clean surface for each teat. -Disinfect teats with teat spray/chlorhexidine dry with paper towel using a different/clean surface for each teat.
Strip the cow make sure it does not have clinical signs of mastitis, if a cow has clinical signs of mastitis draft into the hospital herd and treat. Do not dry off until infection has been treated and cured.
Attach milking cluster to cow, ensure all four quarters are milked out completely.
Teat spray all four teats immediately after the removal of the milking cluster.
Clean and disinfect your hands and forearms. Make sure you know what clean looks like. You must have clean hands and forearms. If your hands or forearms touch a potentially contaminated surface always clean and re-sanitise.
Clean and disinfect PPE gloves and sleeves.
Disinfect hands between cows so you do not spread bacteria from cow to cow.
3 Teams are required to administer dry cow therapy:
Preclean Team
Scrubs the barrels and teats first to get the heavy dirt off so the next crew has a clean surface to work with.
Treatment Team
Responsible the final teat-end preparation and the actual dry cow injections.
Clean Up Crew
Responsible for picking up the rubbish and painting cows red so they are identified as dry.
Preclean Team: Clean teat end and teat barrel with cottonwool bud and 70% methylated spirits solution, disinfect all four teats in preparation for Team 2 to follow to complete process.
Treatment Team:
Teams of two people are required to administer dry cow therapy.
Person A: You are responsible for passing cottonwool buds and dry cow therapy to Person B.
Person B: You are responsible for cleaning the teat ends and administering dry cow therapy.
Person A - With clean gloves pass cottonwool bud and dry cow therapy to Person B.
Person B:
Do not let go of the teat during this 2-Step Process.
Step 1:
Start with a front teat. If right-handed begin on the front left teat, if left-handed start on the front right teat. Disinfect and treat 1 teat at a time only.
Clean the teat end with cotton buds and 70% methylated spirits solution. TEAT END SHOULD BE CLEAN ENOUGH TO LICK.
Step 2:
Step 2: insert intra-mammary tube and infuse dry cow treatment/therapy. No more than 3mm as it can damage teat canal.
Clean and treat the other front teat.
Clean and treat each back teat.
Clean and disinfect hands between cows.
Disinfect teats with teat spray immediately after treatment.
Paint cow with one clear red line across the udder.
Work together with other Treatment T Teams. All other treatments must be administered on the dairy platform.
Remove and dispose of all rubbish - don't let any foreign matter go down the drains.
Begin exiting the cows, do not use any wash hoses at this stage.
Drench cows.
Pick up all rubbish then wash down all surfaces before loading another batch of cows on to the platform. Start each new platform with all equipment & consumables clean and organised.
Cows must go to a clean paddock near the dairy, with clean hay and pasture to encourage cows to stand for at least 30 mins so the teat end closes before they sit down.
Remove all Dry Cow Therapy from the dairy - This is very important, it removes the risk of a cow being treated accidentally with the incorrect medicine.
Clean and return vaccines, drenches and equipment as per the procedure