Determining the true cost of a mastitis cure requires more than just comparing the price per box of mastitis tubes. Consider these five factors when weighing treatment options:
- Treatment efficacy: When looking at treatment efficacy, how can you tell if the product really works? Is it clearing up the infection and eliminating mastitis-causing pathogens in the udder? An incomplete cure can lead to relapses and chronically infected cows. Monitor treatment success to make sure you’re seeing high bacteriological cure rates, lower relapse rates and lower somatic cell counts. It’s the only way to know whether the treatment is working.
- Cost of treatment per day: The price per box of mastitis tubes can be misleading. Look at the number of treatments per box and the frequency of treatment (every 12 hours versus every 24 hours).
- Cost of milk discard: Read and follow the product label for milk discard. Shorter milk withdrawal periods are often more economical because producers can resume putting milk back in the bulk tank sooner. Extra-label use can only be done under the supervision of a veterinarian. If extra-label use is necessary, the veterinarian must provide specific use recommendations and additional milk withdrawal recommendations.
- Potential for residue risk: Managing products with high-residue risk profiles can compromise operational efficiency. It also can increase the potential for shipping contaminated milk. Choose efficacious products with low-residue risk profiles.
- A clinical mastitis cure may not equal a bacteriological mastitis cure: A clinical cure, when milk returns to normal, may not be the same as a bacteriological cure and may not equal treatment success. For hard-to-kill mastitis pathogens, flexible mastitis therapy treatment that’s on-label can sometimes be necessary to achieve a bacteriological cure and help reduce the chance of relapse.
SPECTRAMAST® LC (ceftiofur hydrochloride) Sterile Suspension has a proven bacteriological cure rate of 70.4% using ONLY TWO SYRINGES OF SPECTRAMAST LC, based on efficacy studies conducted by Zoetis involving 352 cows across 13 dairy operations and representing a broad range of mastitis-causing pathogens.1
Labeled to treat both clinical mastitis and diagnosed subclinical mastitis infections caused by a broad spectrum of pathogens, SPECTRAMAST LC has benefits, including:
- Convenient, once-a-day dosing
- A 72-hour milk discard
- A two-day pre-slaughter meat withdrawal — the shortest withhold time available for greater management flexibility
- Optional, on-label flexible label therapy to treat for at least two days and up to eight days to achieve a complete, bacteriological cure.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to mastitis treatment. Explore options for flexible mastitis treatment that may not only knock out physical mastitis symptoms but also eliminate mastitis-causing bacteria to achieve a bacteriological cure. When you achieve a bacteriological cure the first time, you may limit the need for re-treatment and using additional antibiotics. This is important for the health of your cows as well as critical for your dairy’s bottom line.
Learn more about SPECTRAMAST LC by contacting your veterinarian or Zoetis representative.
