A Holistic Veterinarian
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Hey, Doc, waddaya got for Mastitis
Originally printed in the June 2007 issue of the Progressive Dairyman. Used here by permission.
“Hey, Doc, waddaya got for mastitis.” is a question posed by dairymen
everywhere. I wish I had a good answer. Treatments range from frequent
stripping out of the udder to the newest antibiotic or immune stimulant.
Fortunately, many treatments are successful. But some treatments only
suppress the symptoms and when the effect of the treatment wears off the
symptoms return with a vengeance. Unfortunately, any success with treatment
often interferes with the need or desire to address the actual cause of the
problems. Holistic veterinary medicine may have some insights into this
problem, insights that are often overlooked by today’s dairymen.
I think holistic practitioners approach problems with a different mindset.
They try to look beyond the immediate symptoms and look for and remove any
predisposing cause or causes. They view the patient not only as an individual
but also as a part of the ecosystem in which it lives. Finally, a true holistic
practitioner will emphasize holistic animal health management (proactive) in
addition to just treating the symptoms (reactive), whether the treatment is
holistic or conventional. All dairies have constraints imposed on them by natural
principles and the innate nature of the cow. One can either manage according
to these principles and enhance animal health and profit or disregard these
principles and reap the consequences of impaired herd health. Holistic vet
medicine is not about new, high technology or old, low technology, but it is
about appropriate technology. It is definitely not the conventional system,
minus the drugs, nor is it just the replacement of a conventional treatment with
a natural remedy.
Let me give you an actual example. I recently received a phone call from a
veterinarian who has been working with an organic herd that has a mastitis and
high SCC problem. Milk cultures consistently revealed strep bacteria. Since
this was an organic herd his treatment options were limited. He had tried
various treatments including herbs, tinctures, homeopathy and colostrum whey
products … all had little effect. He had consulted with an “organic” vet at a
university and received the standard conventional recommendations; identify the
problem animals, milk them last, sell the really bad ones and treat the rest
with whatever their certifier allows. Good advice, but only a Band-aid. It
manages the symptoms but not the cause. As our conversation proceeded, I
asked him a couple of questions.
Have you checked for stray voltage?
How long after prepping begins are the units attached?
He had not checked those items but he did his homework and later reported
that their electrician did not find any stray voltage. However, he had timed
the interval between initial prepping and putting on the units to be somewhat
over 4 minutes … way too long!
All good dairymen know how important it is to properly prep cows. The best
stimulus to the "let-down" reflex mimics the suckling of the offspring …
warmth, moisture, some pressure or massage, and removing milk. When these
or similar stimuli are applied as the cow is being prepared for milking, oxytocin
is released. Within about a minute, myo-epithelial cells surrounding the alveoli
contract, thus forcing milk out into the duct system. If milking is delayed much
past one minute oxytocin begins to clear the system and the oxytocin reflex
does not proceed to completion. If one does not "prep" adequately and does
not begin milking within one minute, milk yield decreases and "residual milk"
increases. As a general rule, anything that interferes with the initiation or
completion of the oxytocin reflex results in excess residual milk in the udder.
Residual milk is not milk that could be removed by extra stripping but milk that
has not been fully expressed from the alveoli.
Residual milk provides an ideal medium for the growth of bacteria. If
culturing reveals, streptococcus as the predominant bacteria there are two main
areas that need to be checked … stray voltage and improper milking
procedures especially prep time.
If there is stray voltage present and the cow anticipates getting shocked
when she enters the milking area or when the units are attached she will be
stressed and fearful. The resulting release of adrenalin interferes with the
initiation of the oxytocin reflex, the animal does not ‘let-down” her milk,
production goes down and residual milk is increased. If cows are jumpy in the
barn or have a high incidence of strep mastitis it is wise to check for stray
voltage. If you can measure it, then take steps to get rid of it. The results
will speak for themselves.
If milking procedures are not choreographed to insure that milking units are
attached to the cow and taking away milk within about 60 seconds after the
start of prepping the oxytocin reflex will be impaired, residual milk will
increase and thus ‘open the door’ for strep mastitis.
Here’s another example. An older couple was milking cows in a double 12
parlor that had been built when the kids were helping with the dairy. The kids
were now gone and the dairyman fed and cared for the cows and his wife did
the milking. They were plagued with strep mastitis. They had tried a
multitude of antibiotics and many natural products without much success. I
visited the dairy at milking time and watched the milking routine. With only
one person milking they would load only one side of the parlor with 12 cows.
Then this wonderfully meticulous lady would thoroughly wash and prep all 12
cows before attaching the unit to the first cow prepped … about 12 minutes
later. I was able, after a time, to convince her to adjust her routine so that
each cow had a unit attached in about 60 seconds after prep started. In only
a few days their strep problem was much abated.
Many factors are involved in managing and treating mastitis. In the above
instance the overriding predisposing cause was failure to understand and
conform to the basic physiological makeup of the cow. When that was
corrected the problem corrected itself. In addition to the most obvious
predisposing factors, we also need to consider anything that puts the animals
under stress or depresses the immune system. No treatment will be really
effective until the cause is removed or reduced.
“So, Doc, waddaya got for mastitis?” Oddly enough, if the cause of the
problem has been removed, the same natural therapies that did not work
before will probably now be effective. Colostrum whey products, acupuncture,
tinctures, herbs and homeopathy are all effective when applied by
knowledgeable practitioners in herds reasonably free from stress.
The thoughts expressed here are my opinions based on almost 50 years of
experience in veterinary medicine, both as a conventional veterinary practitioner
and as a holistic dairy consultant. I know some folks will disagree. That is
their privilege. I only try to explore options from a holistic mindset and then
look for confirmation from the real experts … in this case the animals in our
charge. If we are attentive in our observations and interpret what we see with
a holistic mindset we can learn a lot from cows. And always remember …
"No problem can be solved until all it’s causes are understood.”
Originally printed in the June 2007 issue of the Progressive Dairyman. Used here by permission.
“Hey, Doc, waddaya got for mastitis.” is a question posed by dairymen
everywhere. I wish I had a good answer. Treatments range from frequent
stripping out of the udder to the newest antibiotic or immune stimulant.
Fortunately, many treatments are successful. But some treatments only
suppress the symptoms and when the effect of the treatment wears off the
symptoms return with a vengeance. Unfortunately, any success with treatment
often interferes with the need or desire to address the actual cause of the
problems. Holistic veterinary medicine may have some insights into this
problem, insights that are often overlooked by today’s dairymen.
I think holistic practitioners approach problems with a different mindset.
They try to look beyond the immediate symptoms and look for and remove any
predisposing cause or causes. They view the patient not only as an individual
but also as a part of the ecosystem in which it lives. Finally, a true holistic
practitioner will emphasize holistic animal health management (proactive) in
addition to just treating the symptoms (reactive), whether the treatment is
holistic or conventional. All dairies have constraints imposed on them by natural
principles and the innate nature of the cow. One can either manage according
to these principles and enhance animal health and profit or disregard these
principles and reap the consequences of impaired herd health. Holistic vet
medicine is not about new, high technology or old, low technology, but it is
about appropriate technology. It is definitely not the conventional system,
minus the drugs, nor is it just the replacement of a conventional treatment with
a natural remedy.
Let me give you an actual example. I recently received a phone call from a
veterinarian who has been working with an organic herd that has a mastitis and
high SCC problem. Milk cultures consistently revealed strep bacteria. Since
this was an organic herd his treatment options were limited. He had tried
various treatments including herbs, tinctures, homeopathy and colostrum whey
products … all had little effect. He had consulted with an “organic” vet at a
university and received the standard conventional recommendations; identify the
problem animals, milk them last, sell the really bad ones and treat the rest
with whatever their certifier allows. Good advice, but only a Band-aid. It
manages the symptoms but not the cause. As our conversation proceeded, I
asked him a couple of questions.
Have you checked for stray voltage?
How long after prepping begins are the units attached?
He had not checked those items but he did his homework and later reported
that their electrician did not find any stray voltage. However, he had timed
the interval between initial prepping and putting on the units to be somewhat
over 4 minutes … way too long!
All good dairymen know how important it is to properly prep cows. The best
stimulus to the "let-down" reflex mimics the suckling of the offspring …
warmth, moisture, some pressure or massage, and removing milk. When these
or similar stimuli are applied as the cow is being prepared for milking, oxytocin
is released. Within about a minute, myo-epithelial cells surrounding the alveoli
contract, thus forcing milk out into the duct system. If milking is delayed much
past one minute oxytocin begins to clear the system and the oxytocin reflex
does not proceed to completion. If one does not "prep" adequately and does
not begin milking within one minute, milk yield decreases and "residual milk"
increases. As a general rule, anything that interferes with the initiation or
completion of the oxytocin reflex results in excess residual milk in the udder.
Residual milk is not milk that could be removed by extra stripping but milk that
has not been fully expressed from the alveoli.
Residual milk provides an ideal medium for the growth of bacteria. If
culturing reveals, streptococcus as the predominant bacteria there are two main
areas that need to be checked … stray voltage and improper milking
procedures especially prep time.
If there is stray voltage present and the cow anticipates getting shocked
when she enters the milking area or when the units are attached she will be
stressed and fearful. The resulting release of adrenalin interferes with the
initiation of the oxytocin reflex, the animal does not ‘let-down” her milk,
production goes down and residual milk is increased. If cows are jumpy in the
barn or have a high incidence of strep mastitis it is wise to check for stray
voltage. If you can measure it, then take steps to get rid of it. The results
will speak for themselves.
If milking procedures are not choreographed to insure that milking units are
attached to the cow and taking away milk within about 60 seconds after the
start of prepping the oxytocin reflex will be impaired, residual milk will
increase and thus ‘open the door’ for strep mastitis.
Here’s another example. An older couple was milking cows in a double 12
parlor that had been built when the kids were helping with the dairy. The kids
were now gone and the dairyman fed and cared for the cows and his wife did
the milking. They were plagued with strep mastitis. They had tried a
multitude of antibiotics and many natural products without much success. I
visited the dairy at milking time and watched the milking routine. With only
one person milking they would load only one side of the parlor with 12 cows.
Then this wonderfully meticulous lady would thoroughly wash and prep all 12
cows before attaching the unit to the first cow prepped … about 12 minutes
later. I was able, after a time, to convince her to adjust her routine so that
each cow had a unit attached in about 60 seconds after prep started. In only
a few days their strep problem was much abated.
Many factors are involved in managing and treating mastitis. In the above
instance the overriding predisposing cause was failure to understand and
conform to the basic physiological makeup of the cow. When that was
corrected the problem corrected itself. In addition to the most obvious
predisposing factors, we also need to consider anything that puts the animals
under stress or depresses the immune system. No treatment will be really
effective until the cause is removed or reduced.
“So, Doc, waddaya got for mastitis?” Oddly enough, if the cause of the
problem has been removed, the same natural therapies that did not work
before will probably now be effective. Colostrum whey products, acupuncture,
tinctures, herbs and homeopathy are all effective when applied by
knowledgeable practitioners in herds reasonably free from stress.
The thoughts expressed here are my opinions based on almost 50 years of
experience in veterinary medicine, both as a conventional veterinary practitioner
and as a holistic dairy consultant. I know some folks will disagree. That is
their privilege. I only try to explore options from a holistic mindset and then
look for confirmation from the real experts … in this case the animals in our
charge. If we are attentive in our observations and interpret what we see with
a holistic mindset we can learn a lot from cows. And always remember …
"No problem can be solved until all it’s causes are understood.”
