{"id":7926,"date":"2022-11-11T16:12:44","date_gmt":"2022-11-11T16:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/herdwatch.com\/drying-off-cows-blanket-or-selective-treatment\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T13:30:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T13:30:18","slug":"drying-off-cows-blanket-or-selective-treatment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/herdwatch.com\/en-uk\/blog\/drying-off-cows-blanket-or-selective-treatment\/","title":{"rendered":"Drying off Cows- Blanket or Selective Treatment?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Global concerns surrounding Anti Microbial Resistance (AMR) and the inability of some antibiotics to fight infection in humans <\/span>has meant<\/span> the dairy industry is now looking towards reducing antibiotic usage when drying off cows<\/span>. With that in mind, <\/span>here’s what you need to know when examining your current dry off protocols on farm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and why must we change how we use antibiotics?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Anti microbial resistance (AMR)\u00a0is a real concern in both human & animal medicine. It occurs when micro-organisms that cause infections adapt and prevent an antimicrobial from working against it. As a result the antimicrobials used to treat infections are no longer effective, limiting the treatment options available and therefore making the most common infections more difficult to treat.<\/p>\n

AMR related deaths are greater than 25,000 a year in the EU and the WHO is estimating that 10 million deaths will occur by the year 2050 as bacteria are able to mutate to become \u201cSuper Bugs\u201d. AMR is here but we need to do everything as a society as a whole to stop it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The Importance of the Dry Period<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The purpose of the dry period is to give lactating animals a period of rest. A minimum of a 60-day dry cow rest period is recommended<\/span> as in practice shorter periods have been found to have a negative effect on cow performance in the next lactation. It is also important to adhere to a 60-day minimum for any cows with high Somatic Cell Count (SCC) at dry off. This gives these cows time to recover and any possible infection to cure before the next lactation with treatment if necessary.<\/p>\n

The risk of infection during the dry period is up to seven times higher than during lactation. <\/span>This highlights how important it is to dry off cows correctly. This is of particular importance when implementing Selective Dry Cow therapy (SDCT) as there is no preventative antibiotics administered so cleanliness is key. Therefore, a good dry off routine is critical to ensure pathogens are not introduced into the teat canal during the process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vets Advic<\/span><\/span>e<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Hazell Mullins, Clinical Director at Highfield Veterinary Group<\/span><\/strong> provides advice to farmers on t<\/span>he implementation of Selective Dry Cow Therapy on farm and best pra<\/span>ctices.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/span>Hazell\u2019s Key criteria for<\/strong>\u00a0succ<\/strong><\/span>ess <\/strong><\/span>w<\/span>ith SDCT<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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