Pharmacokinetics of Drugs Used Systemically in Mastitis Therapy

Abstract

The control of mastitis in cattle has been one of the most complex and challenging disease problems confronting the veterinary profession over the past 50 years. Current mastitis control strategy rightly places major emphasis on the modification of various management factors and the dynamics of udder infections in herds (14), but every bovine practitioner is, nevertheless, called upon from time to time to treat individual clinical cases.

This paper is an attempt to present an approach to rational mastitis therapy by discussing the pharmacokinetics of several representative drugs which might be used. Emphasis is placed on systemic drug therapy in the bovine and the factors which favor distribution of drugs to the mammary gland.