Advances in machine milking: The influence of milking on teat condition and mastitis risk

A simple method developed and validated by Dr. Pamela Ruegg (Schreiner and Ruegg, 2003) for scoring udder hygiene has proved an invaluable tool to monitor the effect of the cow environment on udder cleanliness. Udder hygiene scores showed a significant association between poor udder hygiene and increasing individual cow linear score and the prevalence of intramammary infection with an environmental pathogen was reported. In fact, cows with udder scores of 3 and 4 were 1.5 times more likely to be infected with a major pathogen than cows with scores of 1 or 2. The study reported only a weak association between leg hygiene score and the prevalence of pathogen isolation from the udder. Although environmental conditions are quite different in Australia compared with Wisconsin, the tool is likely to have value in any climate. The tool allows for a quick and easy assessment (usually no more than 20 minutes), and more importantly, provides a quantitative measure of performance that can be used to test the efficacy of different animal management strategies.