Detect mastitis before it costs you
Milk loss, fertility problems and veterinary expenses are the real consequences of mastitis. Clinical cases can quickly result in costs of up to $750 per cow. smaXtec detects mastitis before any visible symptoms appear, protecting your cows, your peace of mind and your bottom line.
Mastitis continues to be one of the costliest diseases on dairy farms, accounting for up to 70% of total economic losses. Furthermore, recent research shows that up to 22% of all North American cows suffer from the clinical form of the disease. Affected cows produce less milk, both in the current lactation and the one that follows. Mastitis is also one of the top three reasons for culling dairy cows.
Lower milk yield, higher losses
Depending on when the infection occurs, a cow can lose an average of 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg) of milk per day, totalling as much as 1,200 pounds (550 kg) over the full lactation. Unfortunately, it’s not just production that suffers, fertility is also negatively impacted. On average, it takes 40 days longer for a cow with mastitis to become pregnant again.
Dairy producers who act early in cases of mastitis save valuable time and money. smaXtec, with its innovative TruAdvice™ technology, detects illness before clinical symptoms, such as reduced rumination or signs on the udder, appear. In fact, smaXtec is the only system worldwide capable of detecting mastitis well before Stage 1, at what is referred to as Stage 0. This allows for the earliest possible intervention and unlocks the full potential of preventive treatment.
The impact of mastitis
Mastitis is usually caused by bacterial pathogens such as Streptococcus uberis, Staphylococcus aureus or the particularly harmful E. coli. “On most farms, the dominant pathogens today are environmental mastitis-causing bacteria,” explains veterinarian Dr. Jonathan Wallis. “That means prevention efforts need to focus primarily on minimizing bacterial exposure between milkings, through proper hygiene in the barn, and supporting immune function with optimized nutrition.” Effective herd management and a targeted udder health strategy are therefore essential to running a profitable dairy operation – especially when the cost of a clinical mastitis case ranges from $430 to $750, depending on severity and treatment. That’s where smaXtec comes in.
Potential costs of clinical mastitis
- Milk dumping due to withdrawal periods
- Medication and veterinary expenses
- Increased labor
- Permanent loss in milk production
- Culling of affected cows
- Replacement heifers
Potential costs of subclinical mastitis
- Reduced milk yield
- Higher somatic cell counts, reducing milk value
- Possible veterinary expenses
- Culling of affected cows
- Replacement heifers
Detect mastitis as early as possible with smaXtec
The typical course of mastitis includes several short fever spikes that signal inflammation several days before any visual signs appear on the udder. These temperature changes can be detected up to four days before clinical symptoms become visible.
Elizabeth Elsinger, Peosta, IowaFor mastitis, smaXtec has been super helpful. We’ve actually gone down from buying four or five buckets of lactating cow treatment to two and we treat almost no cows with antibiotics.
Using TruTemp® technology, the smaXtec bolus continuously measures internal body temperature in the reticulum with unmatched precision (± 0.018 °F or ± 0.01 °C). This enables farmers to act as soon as the cow’s immune system responds. Early detection and timely treatment significantly reduce moderate and severe mastitis cases on dairy farms.
When mastitis is treated early, with the help of TruAdvice™ mastitis alerts, antibiotics may be avoided altogether. Instead, anti-inflammatory and pain-relief treatments are often sufficient. This helps avoid milk withdrawal periods, lowers treatment costs and keeps milk production levels high.
Ron Dawydko, Akron, New YorkBefore smaXtec, antibiotics were our primary line of defense. Now, antibiotics are our second or third option. We do not automatically treat cows with mastitis with antibiotics and that’s all because we catch them before they blow up.
Reliable early disease detection with TruAdvice™
When the bolus detects abnormalities in internal body temperature that match a mastitis pattern, smaXtec’s TruAdvice™ technology sends an automatic health alert, including the likelihood that it’s mastitis. “When a cow throws a high temp alert, it is her body’s natural immune system trying to fight whatever it is. By knowing ahead of time that she has a flare up, we can quarter bucket that milk, udder mint that quarter and give the cow some probiotics to help her body fight it more naturally. Nine times out of 10, that flare up settles down before it turns into mastitis,” explains farmer Sheldon Luehmann from Altura, Minnesota.
Thanks to TruTemp® technology and mastitis alerts from TruAdvice™, smaXtec enables dairy farmers to detect mastitis at the earliest possible stage, during the cow’s first immune response.
Now is the time to take your herd to the next level with smaXtec – for healthier cows, lower antibiotic use and maximum milk production.
