Swollen, hard, inflamed quarters can be found by palpating the udder with your hand. This is one of the first signs of udder infection. The CMT measures somatic cells, the end result of udder infection. A quick screening test of fresh cows using the CMT will find infected quarters that need treatment before the milk is put in the bulk tank. Some producers report good results when treating based on a high cell count.
Research shows it to be no more effective than treating only clinical cases.
Properly identify treated cows and use antibiotic screening tests. Segregating treated cows into a separate string and positively marking them is crucial in keeping antibiotics out of the bulk tank. Consider using an appropriate commercial drug screening test on each treated cow and on the bulk tank milk before each pickup.