Characterization of internal teat sealant behavior throughout the dry and post-fresh periods

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to characterize the be­havior of internal teat sealants during the dry period as well as sealant shedding patterns during the post-fresh period in dairy cattle. Two commercially available teat sealants were utilized for this study ShutOut^TM (Merck Animal Health, Madison, NJ) versus Orbeseal® (Zoetis, Parsippany, NJ). Digital radiography was used to monitor location and percentage of teat fill with sealant at dry off during the dry period. Other parameters eval­uated included weight of sealant shed at first milking, duration of sealant shedding after freshening, and amount of sealant shed at each milking. Incidence of clinical mastitis, teat-level infection status at dry off, and teat-level infection status during the dry and post-fresh periods were also assessed.