Comparative Efficacy of Enrofloxacin and Oxytetracycline as Systemic Dry Period Therapy for the Control of Bubaline Mastitis

This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of systemically administered Enrofloxacin and Oxytetracycline in buffalo during dry period as a measure for effective control of mastitis. A total of twenty seven dry pregnant buffaloes were selected and divided into three equal groups G1, G2 and G3. The animals of group G1 were treated with enrofloxacin 2.5 mg/kg (IM) at 14 days and 7 days prior to expected date of parturition, group G2 was treated with Oxytetracycline-HCl 11 mg/kg (IM) at 14 days and 7 days prior to the expected date of parturition and group G3 was kept as non-medicated control (G3). Mammary secretions from all group were collected aseptically 14 days prior to expected calving and milk samples from each quarter aseptically collected at day 7 and 14 post calving. The efficacy of treatments was evaluated through the prevalence of mastitic pathogens before and after calving and bacteriological cure rate. Post-calving prevalence of mastitic pathogens after systemic dry period therapy with enrofloxacin and oxytetracycline was lower than control group. The cure rate of infected quarters with enrofloxacin (91.67%) and oxytetracycline (70%) was significantly higher than that of control (21.43%) (P<0.05); however, there was no significant difference between enrofloxacin and oxytetracycline treated groups (P> 0.05). It was concluded that dry period therapy with antibiotics especially enrofloxacin helped in eliminating the existing intramammary infections and preventing new intramammary infections. It may be adopted as an integral part of management to bring this disease under control.