Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland and udder tissue. It is one of the most common diseases among dairy cattle.
Mastitis normally occurs as an immune response to bacterial invasion or as a result of injury to the cow’s udder.
A cow with mastitis can be a financial burden for producers. According to a University of Montreal study, mastitis costs the Canadian dairy industry $400 million annually or about $500–$1,000 per cow.
Although mastitis is typically thought of as a dairy cow disease, it can also be present in beef cows. All cattle producers should be vigilant when caring for the health of their herd.

HOW PAIN MANAGEMENT HELPS
While severe cases of mastitis can be one of the most painful conditions for dairy cows, even mild or moderate cases can cause significant discomfort.
A study published by the Farm Animal Welfare Education Centre found that the use of NSAIDs in cows with mastitis decreases signs of udder inflammation and pain, while also reducing the heart and respiratory rate of infected cows. They found that overall, cows with mastitis showed an earlier recovery from illness when treated with NSAIDs compared with cows that only receive antibiotics.
Another study found “the addition of meloxicam to standard antimicrobial therapy for clinical mastitis (CM) improves the conception rate of dairy cows contracting CM in the first 120 days in milk.” This is just another added benefit of managing the pain associated with mastitis.
Since mastitis is common in dairy cows, some producers routinely use vaccines to stimulate the cow’s immune system against E. coli, an organism that may be responsible for mastitis. Keeping the cow’s environment sanitary and well maintained is also an important part of any mastitis prevention protocol. Ultimately, prevention is the best way to keep your cows’ pain-free and keeping the udders clean is the key to achieving this.