Hygiene products for udder health of lactating cows

Abstract

The introduction of the “Milking Protocol” on the farm is a mandatory condition for preventing intramammary infections, maintaining cows' productivity, and improving milk quality. Treating udders with hygiene products is an effective preventive udder care measure in most dairy herds. The choice of an antiseptic agent for udder health should be based on its proven effectiveness, which is necessary to register the drug as a veterinary medicinal product. The purpose of the study was to get acquainted with the current literature on the use of hygiene products for the health of the udder of lactating cows. While writing this review article, we got acquainted with the results of modern scientific research, conducted their analysis and theoretical justification, and summarized the data obtained on using hygienic means for sanitizing the udder of lactating cows. For this purpose, the Polissia National University scientific library funds, scientific search systems Science-Direct, and PubMed were used. This means that sanitation of the mammary gland should have an antiseptic effect and keep the breasts in good condition. Declared composition of registered drugs in Ukraine: iodine, chlorhexidine, organic acids. Hygienic products include cosmetic surfactants that soften the skin and form a moisturizing hydrophilic layer on the skin. Means for udder hygiene, as a rule, are products of chemical origin, and using these drugs creates a risk of chemical elements entering the milk. An alternative to these potential dangers can be probiotic-based products that are environmentally friendly and harmless to the animal body. In the conditions of war and economic troubles, the specialists of the dairy industry are offered preparations of plant origin for the disinfection of cow udders, where medicinal plants are used as raw materials, from which infusions, decoctions, water extracts, alcohol- and oil-based solutions are prepared. Applying dipping procedures is an integral part of the preventive measures of the anti-mastitis program. The choice of means for disinfecting udders after milking must be made depending on the circulation of pathogens in the herd and consider all factors in the conditions of a specific product. In this regard, I believe that a promising direction of scientific research is the use of nanotechnology in the development of new antiseptics, the study of their effect on the health of the udder of lactating cows, the use of probiotics as a dip, as an alternative to substances of chemical origin.