MASTITIS TREATMENT IN DAIRY CATTLE: Part 4: The detection of clinical and subclinical mastitis in dairy cows.

This article discusses the detection of clinical and subclinical mastitis in dairy cows. The best method for detecting early cases of clinical mastitis is by stripping milk from a cow and examining it before milking. Changes in the milk, such as clots or alterations in color or consistency, can indicate mastitis. Visual examination of the udder prior to milking can also help detect mastitis, although it may be difficult to implement in large herds. In terms of subclinical mastitis, laboratory tests are needed to detect it, but there are cow-side tests such as electrical conductivity (EC) and the California milk cell test (CMCT) that can provide some information. EC measures the resistance of milk to an electric current and can detect mastitis in approximately 45% of cases. CMCT, which measures white blood cell counts in milk, is 11% more effective than EC alone for diagnosing mastitis. Using both tests in parallel provides the highest overall benefit for early detection of subclinical mastitis. [Extracted from the article]