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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1417958

Dairy farmers' considerations for antimicrobial treatment of clinical mastitis in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada

Provisionally accepted
Ellen de Jong Ellen de Jong 1Inge van der Velden Inge van der Velden 2Anne-Marieke C. Smid Anne-Marieke C. Smid 1Jennifer Ida Jennifer Ida 3Kristen Reyher Kristen Reyher 4David Kelton David Kelton 5Herman W. Barkema Herman W. Barkema 1*
  • 1 University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
  • 2 Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands, Netherlands
  • 3 Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States
  • 4 University of Bristol, Bristol, England, United Kingdom
  • 5 University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Clinical mastitis (CM) treatment decision-making is a multifaceted process that remains relatively understudied, despite CM being one of the most prevalent diseases on dairy farms worldwide, contributing greatly to the use of antimicrobials in the dairy industry. This study aimed to gain insights into decision-making mechanisms employed by dairy farmers in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, when dealing with CM.Methods: Interviews were held with 15 dairy farmers in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to develop both the decision-pathway and overarching themes influencing the CM decisions by farmers in this region.The analysis generated a decision-making process that begins with identification and classification of CM, guided by visual characteristics of milk and the udder, available milk production and quality data, presence of systemic signs, and additional diagnostics. Subsequently, CM cases are assessed based on the likelihood of cure, value of the cow, and herd goals to decide whether antimicrobial treatment is desired. Next, a treatment choice is made by evaluating severity and urgency of the case, availability of drugs and timing of the case. Finally, definition of treatment success and progression over time following the treatment decision guides the termination of treatment. Three overarching themes were generated that shape the decision-making process: 'Personal attributes', including personal approach and experiential knowledge; 'Inter-actor dynamics', such as shared decision-making and dynamics among producers, veterinarians, and milkers; and 'Moving beyond protocols', which highlights the dynamic nature of mastitis decisionmaking. These insights have the potential to inform the development of effective interventions to improve CM antimicrobial use that align with the reality of farming operations within Western Canada, and potentially beyond.

    Keywords: Clinical mastitis, decision-making, Antimicrobial use, Treatment Choice, Farmer attitudes

    Received: 15 Apr 2024; Accepted: 31 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 de Jong, van der Velden, Smid, Ida, Reyher, Kelton and Barkema. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Herman W. Barkema, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.