Table 6 Respondents’ ratings of statements linked to management of a dairy cow considered to be at risk of having subclinical mastitis on a scale from 1 to 6, where 1 is “never” and 6 is “always”, from a questionnaire study of biosecurity and disease management in organic and conventional dairy production
Variable | Organic | Conventional | P valuea | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Median (min–max) | Mean | Median (min–max) | Mean | ||
Put the cow in a hospital pen | 2 (1–6) | 2.1 | 2 (1–6) | 2.2 | 0.26 |
Increase cow-comfort by adding more litter/straw | 3 (1–6) | 2.9 | 3 (1–6) | 3.2 | 0.18 |
Check the cell count of the milk | 5 (1–6) | 5.0 | 5 (1–6) | 4.8 | 0.53 |
Send milk for bacteriological analysis | 4 (1–6) | 3.4 | 3 (1–6) | 2.9 | 0.06 |
Contact the veterinarian immediately | 2 (1–6) | 2.3 | 2 (1–6) | 2.8 | 0.05 |
Contact the veterinarian earliest after 1–2 days | 4 (1–6) | 3.5 | 3 (1–6) | 3.4 | 0.64 |
Dry up the inflamed quarter and milk the other quarters as usual | 4 (1–6) | 3.5 | 3 (1–6) | 3.2 | 0.12 |
Milk that cow separately and/or last | 5 (1–6) | 4.5 | 5 (1–6) | 4.9 | 0.06 |
Milk the cow with shorter intervals | 4 (1–6) | 4 | 4 (1–6) | 4.1 | 0.72 |
Milk the inflamed quarter completely | 6 (2–6) | 5.3 | 6 (1–6) | 5.3 | 0.66 |
Dry off the cow earlier than planned (the whole udder) and apply dry-cow therapy | 4 (1–6) | 3.3 | 3 (1–6) | 3.2 | 0.57 |
Treat the cow during the planned dry period | 5 (1–6) | 4.5 | 5 (1–6) | 4.7 | 0.35 |
Dry the affected quarter if the cell count remains high after (antibiotic) treatment | 5 (1–6) | 4.3 | 5 (1–6) | 4.4 | 0.76 |
Do not inseminate the cow and cull it at the next planned dry off | 4 (1–6) | 3.9 | 4 (1–6) | 3.9 | 0.66 |
Cull the cow immediately | 2 (1–5) | 2.1 | 2 (1–5) | 2.2 | 0.47 |
Cull the cow if an (antibiotic) treatment does not work | 4 (1–6) | 4.0 | 5 (1–6) | 4.3 | 0.11 |
Cull the cow if the cell count remains high after (antibiotic) treatment | 5 (1–6) | 4.5 | 5 (1–6) | 4.6 | 0.59 |
Check cell count of the whole herd | 5 (1–6) | 4.9 | 6 (1–6) | 5.1 | 0.19 |