The certification process for antibiotic residue tests for raw, comingled bovine milk has been a long and arduous process. In terms of protecting the consumer from antibiotic tainted milk perhaps the ...process developed by FDA and administered by AOAC International can be deemed a success. Unfortunately for the producer and veterinarian the process has left some problems. First, the tests have not been evaluated in a population context. The number of samples required for certification was small and unlikely to represent the range of bulk or individual milk quality that will be experienced in the field. The quality of the estimates of the population test parameters resulting from the certification is questionable meaning that we will be conducting an uncontrolled field trial when these tests come on line in January 1995. Second, the certification process which focussed on developing convenient tests to be used in the rapid screening of milk by processors allowed tests to be certified that will detect some antibiotics below regulatory tolerance levels and in some cases above tolerance levels. Although there will be some accounting for these discrepancies in the labels for these tests, the presence and use of these tests suggests that producers and veterinarians will be facing the very real probability that legal milk will be dumped and producers penalized for the test's mistake. Third, some AOAC certified tests (approved for bulk milk) will be marketed as farm and cow tests. Although the labels for these tests will explicitly describe their approval for bulk milk only, the implicit message is that the test can be used appropriately for individual animal milk. There will be no data to support use of these test on individual animals and it will be necessary to subject these tests to small sample size protocols to develop some expertise in using these tests on the farm. Additionally we will need to develop an epidemiologic approach in order to effectively interpret test results for the dairy producer. Finally, because the breadth of the testing program will be increasing (the present official test, the Bacillus stearothermophilus disk assay detected only a portion of the 6 beta lactams targeted in the new program) there will be an increase in the number of violations detected beginning January 1995 with no reason other than increased ability to detect the antibiotics that had gone undetected.
We will have to live with these tests and we should make efforts to understand how these tests can be best used. The goal of the dairy industry needs to be towards the continuing production of nutritious, good tasting, and safe milk. Although the tests as they stand today are fraught with problems they should be utilized as necessary as part of a farm Total Quality Management program and within the context of the MDBQAP. They are not intended nor should they ever be used to define a quality product. Milk quality in all its dimensions begins with an on-farm program to promote animal and particularly udder health. When disease does occur alternatives to antibiotics should be employed when possible and if antibiotics become necessary then they should be used in a rational manner. This approach should include on-farm training in handling and administering the drugs, developing treatment protocols to provide guidelines for antibiotic use, and importantly having record keeping and identification systems that track antibiotic use and can be used by every member of the dairy management team to know which animals have been treated. The final link in the system will be the screening kits which will be appropriately used to verify that treated cows for which milk has been held from sale according to the label guidelines is negative for antibiotics and the milk is saleable from that aspect.
In an effort to manage antibiotics and prevent residues in meat and milk, the principles of Total Quality Management were applied to dairy farm operations. Six California dairies participated in the ...National Dairy Total Quality Management Program, which included dairies in 30 states. Dairy producers, their veterinarians, the UC Cooperative Extension dairy farm advisors and Veterinary Medicine Extension veterinarians collaborated during the study. During the project, all six dairies developed written treatment plans to assure that drug withdrawal deadlines were being met. Most of the participating producers judged the management protocols, treatment protocols and treatment records to be "very useful" or "somewhat useful" Perhaps the greatest benefit was increased communication between the dairy management and its workers for a better understanding of what was expected of each worker and who was accountable.
Metritis is a postparturient uterine disease that adversely affects fertility, milk production, and health of dairy cattle. Although few cows in most herds develop life-threatening septic metritis, ...many may develop anorexia secondary to metritis-related pyrexia. In an attempt to prevent or reduce the effects ofmetritis, many dairymen have adopted some form of a standardized fresh cow program that often includes administration of 4 mg Estradiol Cypionate (ECP) to postparturient cows with retained fetal membranes. Estradiol has been shown to stimulate uterine contractions, increase phagocytosis of bacteria, increase uterine blood flow, and enhance uterine immune function. However, data is not available to support the use of ECP for prevention of metritis. Recent work by Wagner, et al showed no benefit to the routine use of ECP in randomly assigned postparturient dairy cattle. However, this study contained relatively few cows with known risk factors for metritis. A study was conducted to determine whether the administration of 4 mg of ECP to cows at higher risk for metritis is efficacious in preventing or decreasing severity of metritis in the first 10 days postpartum.
A 1994 outbreak of severe BVD in Pennsylvania prompted a study into the biosecurity and vaccination practices of dairy producers in the state. The objective of the survey was to determine how many ...herds might still be at risk for a disease for which a vaccine is available, such as BVD by assessing vaccination and biosecurity practices.
The objective of this report is to present preliminary results from a survey of producers regarding their use of mastitis control practices. However, the overall objective of a larger study, which ...will utilize the survey data summarized here, is to determine tbe economics of OCT. OCT economics will be considered conditional on the predominant mastitis agents in a herd. The study has three components: a microbiologic assessment of herd bulk tank samples, evaluation of herd SCC, and evaluation of herd mastitis control practices.
Describes a symposium on "Population Health Education" held at the University of California Davis on May 9-11, 2002. Its objectives were to assess the market needs and opportunities presented by the ...users of population medicine veterinarians, determine the degree to which veterinary colleges are producing professionals who meet these needs, identify programs that can prepare veterinarians for these challenges, and discuss an implementation strategy for such programs. (EV)
Resting is a fundamental physical need of dairy cattle, and any improvement in stall comfort and resting time may result in improved milk production and decreased incidence of lameness. However, ...assessing housing facilities for cow comfort potential has proven difficult. To assess free stall utilization and other behaviors, dairy consultants count cows lying, eating or standing. Results are often confusing because of such possible confounding variables as time of feed delivery, milking times, or ambient temperature. This study documented dairy cow behavioral patterns using timelapse photography at a free stall dairy in the central San Joaquin Valley of California to determine the optimum time for visual assessment of free stall usage during hot summer conditions.
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