National Mastitis Council Webinar Addresses Selective Dry Cow Therapy Decision Making - Cowsmo

National Mastitis Council Webinar Addresses Selective Dry Cow Therapy Decision Making

“Selective Dry Cow Therapy: Which Herds, Which Cows?” headlines the National Mastitis Council’s (NMC) next webinar, set for April 15, starting at 2 p.m. Central time. This free, one-hour educational offering features Volker Krömker, a professor in the University of Copenhagen’s department of veterinary and animal sciences, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.

The April 15 webinar will focus on factors to consider when contemplating selective dry cow therapy (SDCT) for a dairy herd and factors to consider when choosing a dry cow therapy regimen for individual cows. Key topics include practical decision making regarding drying off dairy cows, herd-specific mastitis monitoring, risk factors for new mastitis infections or mastitis cure, and decision criteria for selective dry cow treatment.

Many healthy cows can forgo antibiotic treatment at dry-off and freshen with a low somatic cell count (SCC). This practice can help dairy producers save money. Plus, reducing antimicrobial use at dry-off helps promote judicious use of antibiotics.

Krömker’s research group investigated the use of SCC and aerobic bacterial counts as possible tools to choose animals for SDCT at the cow level. While cows in the blanket dry cow therapy group achieved the best udder health results, the difference was only marginally better than the SDCT groups. No significant difference concerning new intramammary infection risk could be detected among the study groups. However, antibiotic use dropped significantly. Researchers discovered that lactation number and the microorganisms present at the time of dry-off influenced udder health.

Krömker earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany. After spending five years practicing veterinary medicine, he pursued a doctorate degree. Krömker earned national recognition for his work in milk hygiene and epidemiology. In 2004, he became a full professor for microbiology and dairy hygiene at the University of Applied Science Hannover. His research focuses on mastitis epidemiology, virulence mechanisms of mastitis pathogens, particularly Streptococcus uberis, mastitis risk factors and risk analysis, mastitis control and therapy, and lactic acid bacteria.

To register for this webinar, go HERE and follow the prompts. As the webinar approaches, registrants will receive an e-mail with information on how to log in to participate. If you are an NMC member and cannot attend the live program, you may access the webinar recording after April 30 HERE. 

NMC applied for one Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) credit, which helps veterinarians and veterinary technicians fulfill continuing education requirements. For further information about NMC’s RACE offerings, contact JoDee Sattler at: [email protected].

National Mastitis Council is a professional organization devoted to reducing mastitis and enhancing milk quality. NMC promotes research and provides information to the dairy industry on udder health, milking management, milk quality and milk safety. Founded in 1961, NMC has about 1,000 members in more than 40 countries throughout the world. 

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