CMT

Mastitis is a dreaded word in the dairy-animal world.  It is often associated with discomfort for the animal as well as for the owner.  From what I understand, it is a disease that works to destroy the milk ducts, causing inflammation in the udder.  Many cases of mastitis can be prevented through keeping sanitary milking conditions.  Mastitis can be treated much easier if it is caught in the early stages.  The California Mastitis Test is an excellent tool for  detecting mastitis.  I recently ordered my kit from Hoegger Supply and I tried it this week for the first time!

I filled the cups with a little bit of milk.  Because the test was designed for use with cows, it has four cups.  I just filled the back two.

 I filled the cups with a little bit of the CMT concentrate (see the top picture).  If the liquid gels, it is a sign of mastitis.  Thankfully, it stayed liquid!  Hurray!  I will probably repeat the test in a couple of weeks to check again, unless I find reason to do so sooner.

I also tested our well water to make sure that would not interfere with the test results.  According to the instructions, if the water remained purple, it was good to go.

Until next time!