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Dairy farmers in Kiambu County have a reason to smile as the veterinary office has unveiled a cheaper way of treating mastitis. The sub-county veterinary officer, Dr Samuel Njuguna while talking to press from his office on Wednesday said that dairy farmers incurred a lot of losses when their cows suffered from mastitis as it reduces their milk production.

He added that treating the infection was expensive and the farmer has to dig deeper into their pockets to maintain the cows. He said that, farmers needed to try clay therapy which can be made locally by mixing water or olive oil with clay soil to form a paste which is used to dress the inflammations on the udders.

Dr Njuguna said that water at room temperature was good for those who opted to use water but noted that a paste made from half water and half olive oil produced desirable effect as the oil in it helped make it more elastic consistent to the paste.

“Clay is known for its therapeutic properties especially its high absorbency; it has proved to be good for treating inflammations caused by mastitis,” he said.

The officer added that when water was being used, one should allow them to mix without stirring but for the case of oil one needs to use a wooden rod to mix the two until it blended properly. He noted that porcelain or glass materials should be used as they do not have reactive elements which can add impurities to the paste. The VO continued to say that the paste should be applied 2 to 3 times a day after it had dried off and can be left overnight after evening milking. He also noted that pine oil can be added in the ration of 3drops to two litres of paste.

“The mastitis has healed when the udder stays oily after the dry clay has been removed. This treatment takes two to three days for chronic mastitis and roughly six hours for the acute mastitis,” he noted. He advised farmers to try the therapy and if treatment didn’t have effects after the stipulated time they should liaise with his office for further checkups.