Milk Testing
Antibody Detection Tests
Milk Testing & Analysis can detect and read antibodies for a number of diseases, such as salmonella , IBR and Mbovis.. antibodies in a sample indicate that the cow has been exposed to this disease at some point in the past, and therefore indicates that this disease may be an issue on particular farms. For more information on the use of milk antibody tests, farmers should contact their veterinary surgeon.
Milk samples can be used to check for antibodies for a range of disease, including:
- IBR
- Johnes Disease
- Salmonella
- Neospora
- MBovis
- Leptospirosis
- Fluke
- Ostertagia
- Q Fever
- Milk Pregnancy
Pregnancy Testing
We use an ELISA test to check for Pregnancy in Cows.
This test can be performed on either milk or blood samples – you can decide.
Milk is easy to take and does not cause any unnecessary stress to your cows.
Blood samples can be useful if you are doing a herd screen for other diseases and the timing of the sampling suits the test i.e pregnancy can be detected in a blood sample 28 days post service. For more information on the milk pregnancy procedure please click here.
Please note : A qualified Veterinary Surgeon must take blood samples from the animal.
Mastitis
Mastitis can result in significant welfare issues for cattle and also results in huge economic losses through milk wastage, treatment costs and loss of productivity on farms .
Milk Culture & Sensitivity Testing
Samples of milk can be cultured in the lab to try to identify which bacteria may be present in the milk sample. This process takes up to 72 hours, and can be a great help in advising you on which antibiotic to use in particular cases of the disease. Milk samples should be collected as aseptically (cleanly as possible),
The Farmer can bring the samples direct to our lab for testing or post samples . Pleaser ensure the fee for the postage is correct as it can cause delivery issues.
Somatic Cell Count
The Somatic Cell Count (SCC) is a main indicator of milk quality. The majority of somatic cells are leukocytes (white blood cells) – which become present in increasing numbers in milk usually as an immune response to a mastitis-causing pathogen – and a small number of epithelial cells, which are milk-producing cells shed from inside of the udder when an infection occurs.
Here at Animal Health Laboratories , we are now testing for SCC with extremely quick and efficient results , call us on 023 8854100 for more information