Mastitis is a disease that affects an average of 40% of dairy cows¹ and causes severe inflammation of the mammary gland and udder tissue. Acute cases can be fatal, and even in treatable cases there is a significant risk of permanent udder damage that affects lactation, sometimes on a long-term basis. The cost of treatment and the reduction in milk production due to infection can also result in heavy losses for the farmer. 

In two-thirds of cases, mastitis occurring in the first month of lactation is due to an infection contracted during the cow's dry period². In order to avoid the spread of this infection within the herd and to avoid prophylactic treatment with antibiotics of all dry cows, a precise selection of cows to be treated is key. However, this selection is difficult because sick animals do not always show visible clinical signs.

This is why our teams have developed Smart DCT. This innovative tool allows veterinarians to calculate and adapt the treatment threshold according to the prevalence of mastitis in the herd. The higher the prevalence, the lower the treatment threshold (somatic cell count) and vice versa. The Smart DCT calculator thus helps to better target the animals to be treated and avoid treating healthy animals, according to the real infectious pressure in the herd. 

On February 21, our teams presented this new tool to nearly 900 veterinarians from around the world during a webinar dedicated to mastitis management, organized in close collaboration with Professor Sofie Piepers³ , a recognized expert in this field. This success confirms our commitment to providing cattle professionals with effective and practical solutions that simplify their daily lives while preserving the quality of life of the animals. 

Because healthy cows produce quality milk, we make their health and well-being a priority by providing solutions and protocols for a more qualitative and sustainable milk production.

<sup>1. Bradley, A. J. et al. (2007) ‘Survey of the incidence and aetiology of mastitis on diary farms in England and Wales’, Veterinary Record, 160(8), pp. 253–258.doi: 10.1136/vr.160.8.253.
1. Green, M. J. et al. (2007) ‘Cow, farm, and management factors during the dry period that determine the rate of clinical mastitis after calving.’, Journal of Dairy Science, 90(8), pp.3764–3776.
2. Green M.J., Huxley J.N., Bradley A.J. A rational approach to dry cow therapy 1. Udder health priorities during the dry period. In Practice 2002;24:582-587.
3. Member of the M-team UGent, founder of Mexcellence</sup>