Section 2 | Selective Dry Cow Therapy
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Defining Types of Mastitis
Important Definitions
Mastitis
Mastitis in cattle is an inflammation of the udder, normally caused by bacteria.
Clinical Mastitis
Clinical mastitis are those infections we can see — the milk is abnormal, and we may see signs of inflammation in the udder (redness, heat, pain, swelling) or in the cow (off-feed, down in milk, fever).
Subclinical Mastitis
Subclinical mastitis is inflammation in the udder that DOES NOT cause any change in the milk, udder, or cow — the only way we know a cow has subclinical mastitis is if we run tests. The most common tests that we run are the California mastitis test (CMT) and somatic cell count (SCC) measurements.
![](https://www.amstewardship.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CMT.jpg)
Source: Hamby Dairy Supply
![](https://www.amstewardship.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Paddle.jpg)
Source: Progressive Dairy
Internal Teat Sealants
These products are non-antimicrobial, sterile intramammary pastes containing bismuth subnitrate in an oil vehicle. Syringes containing internal teat sealants are delivered to the quarter and they fill the teat canal, acting as a physical barrier to prevent bacteria from gaining deeper access to the mammary gland. In Canada, these products go by the trade names Orbeseal®, Lockout®, and VetoSeal.