Content
Purulent mastitis in cows is a rather dangerous inflammatory disease of the udder or its individual parts. This type of disease is accompanied by the accumulation and further release of pus. As a rule, purulent mastitis in cows leads to loss of function of the mammary glands, in some cases death is possible. To prevent mastitis, you need to know its symptoms and how to properly treat purulent mastitis in the early stages.
Forms of purulent mastitis
In order for the treatment of mastitis to be as successful as possible, it is necessary not only to take timely measures, but also to correctly determine what type of purulent mastitis the cow has. This influences the choice of treatment tactics.
Subclinical
Subclinical mastitis in cows is dangerous because the course of the disease is hidden. The disease passes for a long period of time without any visible symptoms. Mastitis can be determined through laboratory tests, thanks to somatic cell counting and microflora analysis. If the subclinical type of mastitis is not detected in a timely manner, it will develop into a clinical form.
Clinical
If an animal has a clinical form of mastitis, then the udder hardens, swells, and becomes quite hot in the affected areas:
- if the form is mild, then small flakes and lumps can be found in the milk;
- with moderate mastitis, the udder begins to swell, harden and turn red, and the cow experiences pain;
- a severe form of mastitis implies a critical condition of the animal, resulting in general intoxication.
The symptoms of mastitis depend entirely on the severity of the disease.
Chronic
The chronic form of mastitis, like the subclinical one, is hidden. As a rule, farmers do not even suspect for quite a long time that their cows are sick with purulent mastitis. Bacteria that contribute to the development of the disease are found in tissues. During the chronic form of mastitis, inflammation appears in the animal for some time, after which a seemingly complete recovery occurs, but you need to understand that it is imaginary. To diagnose the disease it is necessary:
- evaluate the milk - it will be watery, with the presence of flakes;
- use special tests;
- resort to the settling method.
If you do not provide timely assistance to the animal and do not start treatment, mastitis will worsen.
Catarrhal
As a rule, this form appears if there is an incorrect process of milking a cow.
The following symptoms are identified:
- Small nodules appear near the nipples; as a rule, they can be seen on the 5th day of the disease;
- in the first few days the cow feels normal, after which the body temperature rises;
- weakness appears;
- loss of appetite;
- There are flakes in the milk and the fat content disappears.
Often only part of the udder is affected by mastitis. An infection that has penetrated the tissue begins to affect the milk ducts and mucous membrane. In this case, bacteria penetrate through the nipples.
Purulent
The following symptoms are characteristic of purulent mastitis:
- hardening is present;
- in places where hardening occurs, the udder becomes hot;
- The cow's body temperature rises to +41°C;
- There is pus in the milk.
In addition, with purulent mastitis, a cow may develop:
- abscess – ulcers appearing on the mammary glands gradually enlarge and grow together. With a low immune system, metastases appear;
- phlegmon – diffuse purulent inflammation, lesions appear without clear boundaries, filled with pus.
If an animal has an abscess or phlegmon, then the cow will no longer be able to recover from the disease.
Purulent-punitive
At the moment when pus begins to accumulate in the milk ducts, this form of the disease develops. There are several reasons:
- cows are kept on farms in poor conditions;
- there is a problem in the reproductive system.
3-4 days after the first symptoms appeared, purulent mastitis recedes. In this case, this form of mastitis in a cow can either go away completely or worsen and become chronic.
Serous
As a rule, this form appears after the cow has calved. Inflammatory processes are observed only in part of the udder. The following symptoms are observed:
- the udder swells and turns red;
- seals appear;
- inflamed areas become hot;
- Flakes appear in the milk, it becomes liquid and resembles water.
With the serous form of mastitis, the milk takes on a blue tint.
Fibrous
This form occurs with catarrhal mastitis. Symptoms include:
- hemorrhages in the affected areas of the udder;
- purulent discharge.
As practice shows, fibrous mastitis in most cases ends with gangrene and metastases. If fibrin enters the tissue, an accumulation process occurs, which leads to poor circulation and necrosis.
Hemorrhagic
In this case, the walls of the vessels of the mammary glands become thin. Symptoms:
- milk is red or pink;
- Purple spots appear on the udder.
Blood that has seeped into the tissues and milk ducts clogs the blood vessels.
Gangrenous
This form of purulent mastitis in cows is the most complex. During the development of the disease, blood circulation is disrupted:
- tissues in the affected areas of the udder die and become dark blue, almost black;
- a foul-smelling brown or green liquid begins to secrete from the udder.
With this form of the disease, the animal dies in most cases.
Causes
There are several reasons as a result of which cows are exposed to an acute inflammatory disease - purulent mastitis. Among all the existing reasons, it is worth highlighting the following points:
- the animal has nipple trauma;
- On farms, animals are kept in inappropriate conditions. For example, the rooms are quite cold, with high levels of humidity;
- if milk is not fully expressed during milking, stagnation processes begin;
- In addition, purulent mastitis can appear if improper hygiene is carried out before and after milking or if it is completely neglected;
- Small cracks – microcracks – appeared on the nipples during the life of the animal;
- the animal has complications of endometritis or any other infectious inflammatory disease.
It is important to understand that purulent mastitis in animals is not just an inflammatory disease; pathogenic bacteria are directly involved in it. As a rule, pathogenic bacteria include:
- streptococcus;
- staphylococcus;
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa;
- coli.
These bacteria penetrate through small cracks in the animal's udder, after which an active reproduction process begins.
Symptoms and course of the disease
As practice shows, purulent mastitis develops and progresses quite quickly. If you pay due attention to cows, mastitis can be recognized in the early stages by the following signs:
- some part of the mammary gland increases in size;
- you can feel the compaction, it becomes hard, very hot, the animal experiences pain;
- milk yield decreases;
- flakes appear in the milk, the color of the milk changes from white to yellow, and it tastes bitter;
- in some cases, purulent discharge from the nipples may be noticed;
- loss of appetite;
- Often with purulent mastitis you can observe a febrile state in the animal;
- the abscess can be seen with the naked eye - purulent wounds appear.
If you notice any of the above signs, it is recommended to immediately seek help from a veterinarian and begin a course of treatment, since purulent mastitis is life-threatening for cows.
How and with what to treat purulent mastitis in a cow
Once udder phlegmon has been identified in a cow, it is necessary to immediately begin treatment:
- The first step is to isolate the animal. The room must be dry and clean. Milk should not be included in the general mass, since its quality is quite low.
- Every day you should spray the cow’s udder with cold water up to 5 times, then stroke the udder and milk it.
- It is worth donating milk as often as possible, as a result of which harmful bacteria can be removed. It is not recommended to consume such milk.
- If necessary, you can use a solution of ethacridine lactate, potassium permanganate and other antiseptics. These solutions must be injected into the mammary gland using a syringe under low pressure.
- The solution is left in the udder for 4-5 hours, after which it is milked.
- For better distribution of medicines, the udder is massaged.
- Some veterinarians recommend using a soda solution, which can help get rid of flakes in milk. This solution is poured in for 40 minutes, the procedure is repeated after 24 hours.
Timely treatment allows you to protect the animal from further adverse consequences of purulent mastitis and death.
Forecast
If you do not cope with the disease within 7-10 days, then quite often it becomes chronic.
With serious damage or complications, purulent mastitis quite easily turns into udder phlegmon. At first, the cow develops small foci of purulent inflammation without clear contours, after which putrefactive processes are observed.
In advanced cases, death cannot be avoided.
Preventive actions
To ensure that cows do not suffer from purulent mastitis, it is necessary to take preventive measures to prevent the disease. The following measures include the prevention of mastitis:
- It is necessary to keep cows on a farm in dry and clean premises;
- as a rule, only professionals should work with animals in milking parlors;
- the diet should be of high quality and nutritious, with the addition of vitamins;
- An experienced veterinarian should monitor the health of cows;
- if cracks, cuts or wounds appear, it is necessary to immediately take measures to heal them;
- when using automated milking, it is recommended to carry out all work as carefully as possible, since incorrect movements can harm the animal;
- milking is carried out regularly, at regular intervals;
- before milking the cow and after that it is worth performing an udder massage.
By following these simple recommendations, you can not only prevent in a timely manner, but also prevent the occurrence of purulent mastitis in your animal.
Conclusion
Purulent mastitis in cows is a rather serious disease that can occur in various forms. As a rule, mastitis appears unnoticed, in some cases it occurs without visible symptoms.Even an imaginary cure may occur, which subsequently leads to culling or death. Only through timely diagnosis of purulent mastitis and implementation of preventive measures can animals be protected.
