Analysis of the incidence of Holstein cow mastitis and the effectiveness of the treatment regimens used

Mastitis remains one of the main causes of economic losses in dairy farming due to reduced productivity, deterioration of milk quality and premature culling of cows. The analysis of the prevalence of mastitis in Holstein cows in a high-tech complex was carried out and the effectiveness of the stepwise treatment regimen used was assessed. The study was conducted in 2025 on a population (n=2743) of cows of 1—9 lactation with an average productivity of 30—40 liters/day. Data on morbidity and culling are obtained from the DairyComp program, depending on the month and number of lactation. The overall incidence of mastitis was 7,73 %. The peak incidence occurred in the 2—3 months of lactation, reaching 1,46 % of the total number of lactating cows. A direct correlation was found between age, the incidence of mastitis and the proportion of recovered animals. In the first heifers, the incidence was 3,81 %, and recovery was 84,21 %. By the 6^th lactation, the incidence rate increased to 23,53 %, and the proportion of those who recovered decreased to 25.0 %. In cows of 7-8 lactation, the incidence reached 60 %, with the effectiveness of treatment – up to 33%. The initial treatment regimen was used in 100v% of sick cows, and its effectiveness was 45,75 %. The transfer to subsequent schemes was accompanied by a decrease in the proportion of those who recovered to 22,2 % and an increase in culling to 74,1 %. Chemical involution of a quarter, as a last resort, was effective in 100% of cases, but was applied only in 1,42 % of diseased animals. The prevalence of mastitis in the herd is agerelated, with a critical increase in risk after 3—4 lactation, due to the accumulation of fibrous changes in breast tissue and decreased immunity. The existing step-by-step treatment system allows the livestock to be stratified by therapeutic potential, however, the effectiveness of initial therapy requires optimization to reduce the proportion of forced culling, which amounted to 32,08 % of the number of sick cows.

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