What are cow udders?

Cow Udders are the large pendulous organs consisting of two or more mammary glands enclosed in a common envelope and each provided with a single nipple. In other words, these are the larger mammary glands or the milk-producing glands found on the lower surface of the dairy cattle. Females with unhealthy or bad udder and teat conformation are indeed a management challenge for commercial cow/calf producers.

Cow udder anatomy is for producing milk for the young ones. Only the female cattle have udders as it serves the purpose of breasts that’s why male cattle do not have udders. In cattle, there are two pairs of udders while the sheep, goats, and deer have one pair of udders. Read more

Why is it important to keep the udders healthy?

The presence of healthy udders is responsible for better quality milk and longer life of the animal. Hence it is very important to keep them healthy. The shape and structure of the udders help determine the overall health of the animal. For better milking, aiding, and untainted milk production.

If the udders and teat conformation are not healthy then the calves fed by them may fall sick. The sign of healthy udders is that they should be tight to the body cavity. The lower portion of the udder should be level from the side and rear. The less ideal udders slope downwards from front to rear. The median suspensory ligament becomes less pronounced, the udder floor becomes more rounded if they are not taken care of properly.

How to keep Udders healthy?

To keep Udders healthy a few precautions need to be taken well in advance. One may take note of the following point if they want to keep the udders healthy:

Reduce the stress on the cow

If the cows are under stress and not happy it will weaken their immune system and increase the risk of udder-related diseases like Cow mastitis. For this one needs to provide a balanced ratio that is full of protein, energy, and effective fibre. Avoid overcrowding at the bunk. Dry cows and fresh cows also need care.

Help build natural immunity

Feed your cows with vitamin E supplements with fodder, it will reduce the chances of clinical mastitis. Animals in early lactation have a high risk for environmental mastitis, inject the necessary vaccines to the dairy cattle that are usually given in the dry period. Read more 

Lower stress on the teat ends

For better teats, it is necessary to always take care of them but during the winters the risk is higher because during winters moisture levels in the body are reduced causing cracks, calluses, and scares in the udders which damage them. It needs to be cleaned before milking to prevent the spreading of bacteria. The cattle must be free from diseases while milking to prevent the mastitis bacteria and other microorganisms.

Proper cow udder nutrition

While feeding the cattle the aim should not be simply getting rid of hunger, instead, it should be providing nutritional value to the cattle. And the nutritional value of food is to be given during various stages of the lactation cycle and not just for specific durations.

Cows experiencing negative energy show impairment of the udder defence mechanism which leads to cow udder undernutrition. Hence it is necessary to provide minerals and vitamins in their diet that can improve udder health. For the best nutritional value, one must include selenium (Se) and vitamin E, copper, zinc, and Vitamin A and β-carotene in the diet of the cattle, especially for females.

Common diseases that affect cow udders

The most common disease among dairy cattle is Cow Mastitis. It affects both the quality of milk as well as the health of the animal and the offspring that consume the milk produced by infected udders.

Cow mastitis disorder is a condition caused due to an inflammatory reaction in the udder tissues. It is generally because of either trauma or infections by microorganisms. Cow udders that become saggy can get caught by the bacteria and microorganisms. Hence keeping them tight is also a preventive measure for cow mastitis. It is a potentially fatal mammary gland infection, that is generally common in dairy cattle worldwide. It is a common disease that is known to cause heavy loss to the dairy industry.

Treatments of common diseases of Cow udders

The most common disease deteriorating the quality of udders is cow mastitis. There are two options for the treatment of cow mastitis: While it is the beginning Intramammary antibiotics should be given as the first-line treatment for cows if it is not cured go for intramammary antibiotics, the classic mastitis tube and systemic antibiotics given by the intramuscular or subcutaneous route.

Prevention of cow mastitis disease

It is certainly better to prevent cow mastitis disease before it becomes a severe problem. Below are some measures you can follow to save your cow from this disease.

•       Provide adequate, dry and clean bedding for cows to lie down.
•       Cows should be cleaned before entering the milking area
•       Use different paper towels or cloths for cleaning the teats on each cow
•       Teats should be clean and completely dry before milking
•       Use germicidal teat dips after milking
•       After milking feed the cows so that they don’t lie down immediately. This will prevent the entry of microorganisms into teat canals which are still open from milking.

Cow udder anatomy plays a vital role in conveying the well-being of the cows. For a healthy udder and other body parts, it is essential to take care of cow udder nutrition.

You can get all the information related to cow udder in our “Animall” app, where you can contact veterinary doctors directly in case your cow is not keeping well. From purchasing and selling to getting all the information related to cattle diseases it is all handy now.

Hope the article will help you to take better care of your cattle and their offspring. Read more