Conclusions

This FAAST Review was Meant to:

1. Describe how dairy producers and their veterinarians can practice antimicrobial stewardship without compromising animal health and welfare
2. Discuss the implementation of selective dry cow therapy programs, and the importance of colostrum management to reduce calf disease
3. Review how dairy producers can tackle mastitis through managing the environment and the use of bacterial culture to ensure proper antimicrobial selection

After this FAAST Review, You Should Now Know:

Section 1:

• The impact of colostrum management on prevention of disease, and how to decrease the amount of failure of passive transfer in dairy calves
• How to measure if your colostrum is clean, of high quality, and being administered in sufficient quantity
• Improving colostrum management serves to reduce the development of disease thereby reducing the number of antimicrobial treatments required, improving health, welfare, and productivity in adulthood

Section 2:

• Why internal teat sealant at dry-off are important and necessary
• Ways in which you can reduce the amount of dry cow therapy being administered on your farm
• The importance of using on-farm or laboratory culture to properly identify offending mastitis pathogens for targeted therapy when warranted

Section 3:

• The different categories of mastitis and how to identify them
• The importance of using on-farm or laboratory culture to properly identify offending mastitis pathogens for targeted therapy when warranted
• The impacts of Gram positive bacteria in the herd, and the significance of these types of infections
• The impacts of Gram negative mastitis pathogens within your herd, and how to most appropriately address this type of infection