Contagious Mastitis and Milking Procedures - The most common form of contagious mastitis in Utah is caused by Staph aureus . Almost all herds have some infected cows. With frozen teat ends or faulty milking procedures, a small problem can rapidly erupt into a major disaster. Review your milking preparation procedures and compare them to the ideal and make improvements where needed. These have both recently been shown to have a profound effect on udder health and resistance to infection.
Blood tests can help evaluate and monitor the herd status.
Both vitamin E and selenium can be added to the feed at minimal expense to insure adequate intake. If you are not using these tools, perhaps you should be. Teat dip all cows. Treat all quarters of all cows with dry cow therapy, as they turn dry. Have milking equipment checked and serviced at least every six months.