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The conventional approach to eliminate and prevent new intramammary infections over the dry period is to infuse all quarters with a long-acting dry cow antibiotic. However, this approach is hot without controversy, and alternative methods aimed at teat-end protection have been developed. The use of an external teat sealant to form a physical barrier is one such example. The objective of this study was to determine if application of a dry cow teat sealant at drying-off significantly reduced the level of infection at calving, and the impact of sealant adherence on achieving this outcome.

The risk of new intramammary infection (IMI) is dramatically increased during the first week of the dry period.1 Intramammary treatment with a long-acting antibiotic formulation is recommended for all quarters of all cows, in part to control the new IMI in the early dry period. Recently, a dry cow teat sealant has been marketed for protection of the tea tend after dry-off. Efficacy trials have demonstrated a reduction in new IMI caused by environmental Streptococci.2 The sealant should persist on the teat end until the keratin plug has formed in the streak canal. The objective of this project was to study the association between various teat and cow-level variables and the duration of adherence of a dry cow teat sealant.