Financial implications of treating nonsevere gram-negative clinical mastitis in 3 California dairies

Abstract

On 3 large California dairies, 415 lactating cows with nonsevere clinical mastitis (CM) and infected with gram-negative (GN) bacteria were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups: nontreated control (CON; 135 cases), 2 d of ceftiofur HCl (SP2; 133 cases), or 5 d of ceftiofur HCl (SP5; 147 cases). Bacteriological cure, clinical cure, mastitis recurrence, culling or death, and overall treatment success differed among treatment groups. Although duration of milk withheld due to mastitis therapy was higher for SP5 (9.4 d), there was no difference between CON (6.9 d) and SP2 (7.1 d). Culling and death rates due to GN CM were the main effects that affected partial cost calculations. Of study cows culled across the 3 herds, a higher proportion of CON cows (25%) were culled compared with SP2 (11%) or SP5 (18%). Mastitis-related expenses were higher ($550) for CON than SP2 ($343) or SP5 ($423). Results of this partial budget evaluation for the 3 California dairies indicated economic justification for treating cases of nonsevere GN CM with ceftiofur HCl for 2 d.

Summary: Bovine mastitis is an economically important disease that causes financial losses for dairy producers. A study was conducted to evaluate the biological impact of treating nonsevere gram-negative (GN) clinical mastitis (CM) with ceftiofur HCl for 2 or 5 days compared with nontreatment at 3 California dairies. This report used the outcomes from the study to perform a partial budget calculation of the economic impact of treating nonsevere GN CM. The partial budget evaluation showed mastitis-related expenses were higher for the nontreated group ($550) compared with animals treated with ceftiofur HCl, and were lower for the 2- ($343) compared with the 5-day ($423) treatment. The greatest differences between treatments were related to higher costs associated with the culling- and death-related expenses for nontreated cows compared with the treated groups that were incurred over the 90 days following GN mastitis diagnosis.