Dairy farmers are always looking for ways to balance animal health, treatment costs, and milk quality. One way to achieve this is through Selective Dry Cow Therapy (SDCT), which helps reduce antibiotic use while maintaining herd health.
What is Selective Dry Cow Therapy?
Traditionally, Blanket Dry Cow Therapy (BDCT) treats all cows with antibiotics at dry off, even if they are healthy. SDCT, however, treats only cows that show signs of infection, while healthy cows receive only teat sealants. This method lowers antibiotic use and reduces costs.
Is SDCT Right for My Farm?
To implement SDCT, farms should meet these conditions:
Bulk tank somatic cell count below 250,000 cells/mL
Few or no cases of contagious mastitis
Good record-keeping of mastitis cases and treatment history
Use of teat sealant on all cows at dry off
Younger cows in their first lactation are often better candidates for SDCT. Farmers can start by applying SDCT to first-lactation cows before expanding to the entire herd.
How to Implement SDCT?
Farmers can collect milk samples before dry off to check for subclinical infections. If a cow shows no signs of mastitis, only teat sealant is used instead of antibiotics. Farms using SDCT may see a 51% reduction in antibiotic use and save money on treatment.
Can SDCT Save Money?
A study showed that farms could save an average of $5.37 per cow using SDCT. A farm treating half its cows instead of all could save over $19,000 per year. Even a 25% reduction in antibiotic use could save around $9,600.
Dairy farmers should work closely with veterinarians to ensure proper training and monitoring. SDCT can be a cost-effective and sustainable solution for herd management.