Clinical mastitis results in considerable economic losses for dairy producers and is most commonly diagnosed in early lactation. The objective of this research was to estimate the economic impact of clinical mastitis occurring during the first 30 days of lactation for a representative US dairy. A deterministic partial budget model was created to estimate direct and indirect costs per case of clinical mastitis occurring during the first 30 days of lactation. Model inputs were selected from the available literature, or when none were available, from herd data. The average case of clinical mastitis resulted in a total economic cost of $444, including $128 in direct costs and $316 in indirect costs. Direct costs included diagnostics ($10), therapeutics ($36), non-saleable milk ($25), veterinary service ($4), labor ($21), and death loss ($32). Indirect costs included future milk production loss ($125), premature culling and replacement loss ($182), and future reproductive loss ($9). Accurate decision making regarding mastitis control relies on understanding the economic impacts of clinical mastitis, especially the longer term indirect costs that represent 71% of the total cost per case of mastitis. Future milk production loss represents 28% of total cost, and future culling and replacement loss represents 41% of the total cost of a case of clinical mastitis. In contrast to older estimates, these values represent the current dairy economic climate, including milk price ($0.461/kg), feed price ($0.279/kg DM (dry matter)), and replacement costs ($2,094/head), along with the latest published estimates on the production and culling effects of clinical mastitis. This economic model is designed to be customized for specific dairy producers and their herd characteristics to better aid them in developing mastitis control strategies.
Two systemic antimicrobials are currently labeled in the United States for the treatment of metritis, ceftiofur and oxtetracycline. However, veterinarians may choose an alternative to ceftiofur, a third generation cephalosporin, because of concerns about the potential development of antimicrobial resistance. Ampicillin sodium is often used in an extra-label manner in the field to treat metritis in dairy cows, but there is little work published to support its use for this purpose. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of two antimicrobial treatments (ceftiofur hydrochloride versus ampicillin sodium) for resolution of clinical signs, reproductive performance, culling, and milk yield in dairy cows diagnosed with acute puerperal metritis.
Economic returns associated with improved reproductive performance in dairy herds depend upon a wide variety of factors, including initial level of reproductive performance, future value of milk and of the calves produced, cash cost of replacement heifers, and many other factors. A variety of synchronization programs have been developed that may help improve the overall pregnancy rate (PR) of the herd, but the profitability of each program varies. A spreadsheet model was designed to compare the potential profitability of an improved estrus-detection program, an estrus-detection program combined with presynchronization and a single timed insemination, and a program relying completely upon timed insemination. Each of these scenarios was compared to a baseline program based upon estrus-detection and AI. The baseline herd was designed to have an estrus-detection risk and conception risk of approximately 50% and 31%, respectively, consistent with herds at or slightly above average reproductive performance in the US. Each of the modeled scenarios predicted better future returns than the initial baseline program, but the two involving timed AI also incurred substantial costs upfront. Adoption of either of these programs carries significant potential risk if not properly implemented and managed. Poor compliance to either timed AI program dramatically decreases both the resulting PR and the predicted economic returns. Dairies that implement programs such as these should work diligently to ensure that compliance levels consistently exceed 90% in order to maximize the profitability of either approach.
The Vital 90TM Days begins approximately 60 days prior to calving and continues through the first 30 days of lactation. During this time, dairy cows experience a series of biological and physiological transitions that are usually accompanied by large changes in feed intake, dramatic shifts in hormonal profiles, and major fluxes in hepatic demands and function. The resulting negative energy and negative protein balance as well as immune suppression often lead to a multitude of metabolic and infectious problems including, but not limited to, retained fetal membranes, ketosis, metritis, displaced abomasum and mastitis among others.
Vaccination of adult lactating dairy cattle can have a negative impact on milk production. Decreased milk production may occur from a combination of the cow’s immune response, endotoxin level in the vaccine, and the impact of cattle handling. A randomized clinical trial utilized 3 treatment groups to examine changes in milk production following vaccination with a Mannheimia haemolytica subunit vaccine (MHSV; Nuplura PH, Elanco Animal Health) using 972 lactating dairy cows on a single Midwestern dairy: a vaccinated group (MHSV, n=315); a placebo-treated control (saline, n=342); and a negative control group (no injections, n=315). The decline in milk across a 3 d post-treatment period for the saline group was 0.5 lb (0.2 kg) greater than the negative control cows, but the difference was not significant (P=0.57). The decline in milk during the same time period for cows in the MHSV group was 1.5 lb (0.7 kg) more than the negative control, (P=0.02). The declines between the saline group (0.5 lb; 0.2 kg) and the MHSV group (1.5 lb; 0.7 kg) were not significantly different (P=0.17).
Milk production and reproductive performance can decrease as a result of hyperketonemia in lactating dairy cows. In addition, cows with hyperketonemia are at higher risk of developing a variety of diseases including displaced abomasum, metritis, retained placenta, and clinical ketosis, and are more likely to be culled. The negative impact of hyperketonemia can be observed at both the individual-cow and herd levels. As a result, significant economic losses might be encountered in dairy herds with a high incidence of hyperketonemia.
