Implementing selective dry cow therapy

Abstract

Veterinarians play a critical role in the judicious use of anti­microbials on farms. The treatment and control of mastitis ac­counts for approximately two-thirds of all antimicrobial use on the dairy farm. Cow, management and farm level factors can be used to identify the risk of subclinical infection at dry off or the likelihood of subclinical or clinical infection during the dry pe­riod and can thus be helpful in determining when antimicrobi­al use is appropriate and when it is of lesser importance. There is an opportunity for veterinarians to make a major impact on antimicrobial use by adopting a selective approach to their in­clusion in dry-off protocols.