Livestock

Dry Cow Therapy and Mastitis Welfare in Dairy Cattle

Mastitis causes significant pain in dairy cows, and appropriate dry cow therapy management is central to herd welfare and antibiotic stewardship.

Key Facts

Mastitis affects around 30-40% of dairy cows in the UK each year
Clinical mastitis causes acute pain — affected cows show changes in gait and posture
Dry cow therapy protects against new intramammary infections during the dry period
Selective dry cow therapy targets treatment to infected cows, reducing antibiotic use
California mastitis test allows rapid cow-side assessment of subclinical mastitis

Welfare Considerations

Mastitis is one of the most important welfare challenges in dairy production — pain is often inadequately managed. NSAIDs significantly reduce suffering from clinical mastitis but are inconsistently used. Selective rather than blanket dry cow therapy maintains welfare while reducing unnecessary antibiotic exposure. Teat condition scoring, milking machine maintenance and housing hygiene are all key to prevention.

What You Can Do

Support dairy farms that have NSAID pain relief protocols for mastitis
Advocate for selective dry cow therapy as the welfare and antibiotic stewardship standard
Choose dairy from farms with low somatic cell counts — an indicator of udder health
Support veterinary-led herd health planning that includes mastitis prevention
Raise awareness that mastitis is painful and requires proactive management