🧑‍⚕️ Veterinarian

A veterinarian is a doctor for animals. On a dairy farm, the vet treats sick cows, gives vaccinations and looks after the health of the whole herd. The vet advises the farmer on how best to feed and keep the animals. Vets protect people too: they make sure diseases do not pass from animals to people and that food is safe.

A common disease in dairy cows is mastitis, an inflammation of the udder. It is caused by bacteria. A sign of the disease is a high number of somatic cells in the milk. These are mostly white blood cells that fight infection. A healthy cow usually has fewer than 100,000 of them per millilitre. In the European Union, pooled milk may have no more than 400,000 cells per millilitre.

If a cow is treated with medicines, her milk cannot be sent to the dairy plant for some time. The vet sets this period. The vet watches over calvings and makes sure the calf gets colostrum in time — the mother's first milk, rich in antibodies. There are also vet inspectors. They check animals and animal products for dangerous diseases and make sure food safety rules are followed.