Lavery, AnnaCraig, Aimee-LouiseGordon, Alan WesleyFerris, Conrad P.2022-06-142022-06-142022-05-28Lavery, A., Craig, A., Gordon, A.W. and Ferris, C.P. (2022) ‘Impact of adopting non‐antibiotic dry‐cow therapy on the performance and udder health of dairy cows’, Veterinary Record. Wiley. doi:10.1002/vetr.1731.0042-49002042-7670https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.1731Publication history: Accepted - 12 April 2022; Published online - 18 May 2022Background On dairy farms, the prophylactic use of antibiotics at drying-off is being increasingly challenged. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of antibiotic dry-cow therapy (DCT) or non-antibiotic DCT on dairy cow performance and udder health. Methods Holstein cows (n = 285) with low risk of intramammary infection (<200,000 cells/ml) were assigned to one of two treatments, either antibiotic DCT (A + TS; antibiotic treatment in combination with internal and external teat sealants) or non-antibiotic DCT (TS; internal and external teat sealant only). Results There was no statistically significant (p > 0.05) difference between treatments for mean cow milk yield, composition or energy corrected milk yield. Mean somatic cell count was 0.16 loge higher in the TS treatment (95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.00 loge to −0.33 loge) compared to A + TS treatment (p = 0.047). A 50% increase in the number of mastitis cases was observed in the A + TS treatment compared to TS treatment (odds ratio = 1.5, 95% CI: 0.80%–3.01%), although this was not significant. There was no statistical evidence (p > 0.05) that treatment had any effect on colostrum quality and composition. Conclusion Results indicate that non-antibiotic DCT can be adopted in ‘low-risk’ cows who were offered grass silage-based diets in cubicle accommodation, with low risk of adverse effects on performance or udder health.en© 2022 British Veterinary Association. This work is made available online in accordance with the publisher's policies. Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisherArticle