Success stories about Mastitis: Introducing Mastitis vaccination on the farm, an easy task?
Is vaccination against mastitis in cattle an easy tool to introduce on to our farms? What are the specific benefits that it brings? We are visiting different countries to hear the views of veterinarians and farmers on vaccination against bovine mastitis. What has been the experience in Mexico?
Interview with David Pérez (Mexico)
Mr. David Pérez Gutiérrez is the owner of “Monte Largo” farm, located in Jalisco, Mexico. Over 220 cows are milked there with an average production of 30 litres cow/day.
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“What I like about the mastitis vaccine I’ve been using on my farm is that it is a polyvalent vaccine”
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What are the main problems associated with milk quality and the economic losses caused by mastitis in cattle?
During the 30 years that I have been running the farm, one of my main concerns has been the incidence of clinical coliform mastitis.
The incidence of severe cases in which affected cows failed to respond to treatment. As a result, it had to be discarded and it had a great economic impact on the performance of my farm.
When did you start vaccinating against mastitis in cattle and what led you to take this decision?
I started to use Startvac vaccine against bovine mastitis about 9 years ago…
When I was presented with the option of a vaccine that could help me to control this problem, I took the decision to try it and to include it in my prevention pogramme.
What did you think when it was explained to you that there was a vaccine for the prevention of mastitis in cattle?
There were already vaccines for mastitis in Mexico, the problem was being able to adapt the protocol to the problems that I had on my farm by that time.
What I like about Startvac is the fact that it is a polyvalent vaccine.
In those days my main problem was coliform mastitis. The fact that there was a product that would work for other types of mastitis in cattle, made me think that investment in it would be more profitable.
What drew your attention to the product and why did you decide to use it?
As mentioned, my attention was caught by the fact that it would work for other types of mastitis as well.
I saw this vaccine as a option that could help me to reduce my losses caused by coliform mastitis, and so I took the decision to try it.
Besides, I was able to adapt it to the size and needs of my farm, without the risk of losing milk after administering it, even though the cow was in full production, was doubtless a determining factor in my decision to use it.
Also, the 5 and 25 dose presentations make it easier to manage the application for the size of my farm without wasting any product.
What were the main benefits of vaccination, both in terms of the quality of product and in economic terms?
I soon noticed that in the cows which were being vaccinated, the cases of mastitis were less severe and they recovered more quickly.
On the other hand, the number of cows that I had to send to the slaughterhouse and the cost of antibiotic treatment decreased.
What would you say to someone who doesn’t know whether to start vaccination for the prevention of mastitis in cattle on their farm?
Startvac is a tool which gives good results in a mastitis control programme.
On my farm, I am often responsible for personally inspecting and evaluating my cows and consequently I believe that vaccination with Startvac is profitable.
This article is also available in Spanish at Pecaurios.com.
