Reports on dairy science findings from O.C. Sampimon and co-researchers provide new insights.(Report)

"A high percentage of heifers calve with intramammary infections. One of the measures available to control intramammary infections is treatment with antibiotics before calving," scientists writing in the Journal of Dairy Science report.

"In this study, the effects of prepartum treatment of nonlactating heifers with a 600-mg cloxacillin dry cow treatment on the prevalence of culture-positive milk samples at calving and 10 to 14 d in milk (DIM), the incidence of clinical mastitis, somatic cell count (SCC), and milk production during first lactation were quantified. A total of 184 heifers on 13 dairy farms were treated with antibiotics 8 to 10 wk before the expected …