Diagnosing an Unexplained SCC Spike and Eliminating the Hidden Cause
Craig Jopp’s herd sat comfortably below 100,000 SCC, with udder health well under control. When his SCC suddenly rose to 156,000, with no clear sign of infection pressure and no change in herd behaviour or health, the spike was both unexpected and concerning. Routine checks, visual assessments, and on-farm troubleshooting didn’t reveal an obvious cause.
The herd looked normal.
The cows were milking well.
But the numbers were moving in the wrong direction.
To find the source of the problem, Craig turned to Snapshot®.
The Snapshot® analysis detected a combination of common environmental mastitis markers and, more importantly, high levels of opportunistic mastitis markers—a profile that strongly suggested issues with teat spraying coverage or subtle teat condition deficiencies.
This insight prompted a closer look at spraying performance.
The investigation confirmed it: the new walk-over teat sprayer was not applying disinfectant effectively.
In other words, the rising SCC wasn’t due to infection spreading—it was the result of insufficient teat disinfection, allowing opportunistic bacteria to establish a foothold.
Straightforward Corrective Action and Fast Recovery
With the cause now clear, the solution was simple:
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Revert to manual teat spraying at cups-off, ensuring full coverage and reliable disinfectant contact.
This small operational change had a rapid effect:
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SCC returned below 100,000 almost immediately
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After 2 weeks: SCC down to 91,000
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After 4 weeks: all opportunistic mastitis markers gone on the second Snapshot® test
Craig’s situation highlights how Snapshot® can distinguish between true pathogen-driven mastitis risk and problems caused by equipment, processes, or incomplete coverage—issues that can remain invisible without targeted diagnostic data.
Snapshot® gave Craig the clarity needed to pinpoint a problem that routine checks had missed. Instead of unnecessary treatments or overreactions, the data directed him to a practical fix fully within the team’s capability. By returning to manual spraying, the herd returned to low SCC, and the mastitis risk signature disappeared entirely.