Evaluation of acoustic pulse and cold laser therapies for the treatment of dairy cows with subclinical mastitis under organic management conditions.

BACKGROUND: Mastitis remains a significant issue in dairy herds, yet antibiotic use is restricted under organic management conditions. There is a need to evaluate commercially available non-antibiotic mastitis treatment strategies. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of two currently available mastitis treatment strategies: acoustic pulse therapy (APT) and cold laser therapy (CLT) on organic dairy farms. METHODS: A total of 129 multiparous lactating crossbred cows with somatic cell counts (SCCs) >200,000 cells/mL were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: APT, CLT, and control (CON) at a commercial dairy farm under certified organic management. Cow-level milk samples were collected before milking and evaluated for SCC, fat%, protein%, lactose%, solids-not-fat%, and bacterial identification. Results from the dairy herd improvement association (DHIA) test were used to obtain individual milk production and cow removal information. The bacteriological cure rate, recovery rate, and cow survival were compared among treatment groups. RESULTS: The CLT group had a higher bacteriological cure rate than the CON group, but only in cows with acute, contagious mastitis. Cows in the APT group tended to have lower bacterial counts than those in the CON group, regardless of inflammation status or chronic mastitis history. There was no statistically significant effect of treatment on cow recovery or survival. CONCLUSION: While there were some effects on bacteriological cure rate and bacterial counts in specific groups of cows, we were unable to demonstrate long-term benefits in terms of recovery rate, milk yield, or survival among cows affected by subclinical mastitis in organic settings.