Assessment of udder skin surface temperature changes in relation to mastitis in crossbred dairy cows in different farms in Kerala

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to assess the infrared thermographic profile in relation to mastitis in lactating dairy cows. In this study, 20 lactating crossbred dairy cows each were monitored for a period of 21 days in four dairy farms. The udder skin surface temperature (USST) was recorded using infrared thermography (IRT) during the study period at diurnal time intervals. Milk samples were collected at the time of afternoon milking from each quarter and tested for California Mastitis Test (CMT). It was observed that higher USST was noticed in udders with clinical mastitis followed by non-mastitis and subclinical mastitis, and the skin surface temperature of non-mastitis and clinical mastitis udders were significantly higher than subclinical mastitis affected udders. The results of this study indicate the limitations in the use of IRT of udders for early detection of mastitis across all regions.