Sunlight, dust, overcrowding, thistles, and secondary infections predispose to the disease. Treatment involves early use of antibiotic eye preparations. This is a severe mastitis usually seen in heifers and dry cows. The udder is infected by a mixture of bacteria, carried by biting and sucking flies. The infection will also, via the bloodstream, settle out into joints making the animal stiff and lame.
Treatment involves antibiotics and drainage of affected quarters.
Prevention is vital, as once an infection is established the quarter is usually lost. As some of you are already aware the practice now has an ultrasound scanner for the pregnancy diagnosis of cattle. This machine enables us to accurately diagnose pregnancy as early as 30 days after service, and we are using it at most of our routine fertility visits. The machine consists of a visual display unit and a scanning probe. We place the probe into the rectum so that it lies over the uterus.