Know your enemy - test every clinical mastitis case

To manage mastitis it is important to know which bacteria are causing the infection. If the antibiotics are “not working” it’s often because you are not using the best one for the bacteria involved or because the culprit is a Gram negative bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics.

Without testing we are in the dark

Test every case of clinical mastitis with Mastatest

• Testing every case of clinical mastitis identifies the bacteria and the best treatment
• The result is a better chance of curing the infection so less retreatments
• You will build up a picture of which bacteria are causing the most mastitis on the farm 

1 out of 5 cases may need antibiotic treatment

• Give the cow a dose of KetoMax 15%, test the milk sample through Mastatest and wait 24 hours for the result before beginning antibiotic treatment.
• If no bacteria are grown or the result is Gram negative (e.g. E.coli or Serratia) then antibiotic treatment is not needed (continue with 3 or more days of KetoMax)
• These make up over 20% of mastitis cases tested in NZ, and every case of mastitis costs around $200 including treatment and discarded milk!

Mastatest is a gamechanger

Malcolm runs 3 dairy farms and tests every case of mastitis. Here’s why:

• Mastatest takes the guess work out of which treatment to use
• Cure rates are better
• It is important to know which bacteria you are dealing with to manage mastitis