Approach to Selective Dry Cow Therapy in Early Adopter Italian Dairy Farms: Why Compliance Is So Important

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Selective dry cow therapy (SDCT) involves selecting only cows or mammary quarters with existing intramammary infection to be treated with antimicrobials at dry-off. SDCT became mandatory in Italy in January 2022. Previously, the most common practice was to treat all cows at dry-off with intramammary antibiotics to address current udder infections and to prevent new ones. This study describes the challenges of 11 herds with SDCT, focusing on owner compliance. Compliance, the ability of the farmer to follow veterinary advice, was a critical issue as 21% of all cows were non-compliant, highlighting the need for better treatment monitoring. At first testing, non-compliant cows were 3.77 times more likely to have subclinical mastitis compared to compliant cows. Observations of veterinarians and farmers showed a lack of monitoring systems for cows to be treated with antibiotic selections. This study suggests the need for improved education and increased veterinarian involvement in the implementation of SDCT. ABSTRACT: Selective dry-cow therapy (SDCT) became mandatory in Italy on 28 January 2022. During 2020, a group of farms involved in a milk quality program began a pilot experiment with SDCT in order to understand its challenges and to identify areas for procedural improvements. The aim of this study was to describe the challenges and results of the SDCT in early adopters’ herds with a special focus on treatment compliance. Retrospective data from 1911 cows from 11 dairy herds were evaluated. Somatic cell counts, clinical mastitis (CM) history, and the California Mastitis Test (CMT) were used as criteria for SDCT. Based on the dairy herd improvement test results and CM history, 48% of all cows should have received antibiotic treatments and internal teat sealants. Adding the CMT at dry-off increased the percentage of antibiotic-treated cows to 62%, with relevant variation among farms. Concerning treatment compliance, 21% of the cows were “non-compliant”, suggesting the importance of monitoring treatment compliance. In conclusion, even if commonly used selection criteria for antibiotic treatments were used, the need for more education and in-depth monitoring of the SDCT adoption process was clearly identified. Close collaboration and agreement between veterinarians and farmers are key for SDCT adoption success.