ToDAY^®

TODAY (cephapirin sodium) is a cephalosporin which possesses a wide range of antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative organisms. Using a convenient, single-day treatment, TODAY saves producers time and money when solving problems related to mastitis.

• Single-day treatment against pathogens that cause mastitis
• For use in lactating dairy cows
• Takes advantage of the Opti-Sert^® tip to aid in partial insertion

Presentations

• Pail containing 144 x 10 mL syringes and 144 convenient single use alcohol pads.
• Cartons containing 12 x 10 mL syringes with 12 convenient single use alcohol pads.
  

• Unique Opti-Sert^® tip helps prevent pushing harmful surface bacteria into the teat canal
• Reduces the risk of new infections
• Allows antibiotic contact with teat-canal infections
• Provides the option of partial or full insertion with an exclusive, easy-to-use protective cap

Dosage Information

• Infuse a 10 mL syringe (200 mg of cephapirin activity per syringe) once the quarter has been completely milked out
• Repeat once only in 12 hours
• For lactating cows only
• Milk withdrawal: 96 hours after the last treatment
• Slaughter withdrawal: 4 days after the last treatment
• Overdosing may lead to a longer milk withdrawal
• Read and follow label directions.
  

In terms of judicious use of antibiotics, using a first-generation cephalosporin such as TODAY (cephapirin sodium) is recommended over the use of a third-generation cephalosporin (such as Spectramast^® LC).¹

Intramammary mastitis treatments of Gram-positive infections is widely reported as beneficial⁵, so those infections should be the focus of treatment.²

A recent study showed similar efficacy between TODAY and Spectramast LC.TODAY was not inferior to Spectramast LC for clinical or bacteriological cures.³

Two tubes of TODAY given according to the label will result in 60 fewer hours of milk withhold time as compared to using five tubes of Spectramast LC, and reduce time cows spend in the hospital pen by 35 percent. UsingTODAY can also save a 1,000 cow dairy over $13,000 annually.⁴

In a recent head-to-head study comparing cephapirin and ceftiofur (the active ingredient in Spectramast LC), the authors concluded, “Herds that do not utilize a culture-based approach for the treatment of clinical mastitis may have an economic benefit from selecting cephapirin with the shorter non-saleable milk duration as the first treatment of choice. This would be particularly true in herds that have an average or below-average incidence of Gram-negative organisms causing clinical mastitis.”³

¹ Boddie RL, Nickerson SC and Sutherland SF. New design of mastitis tubes reduces infection. Hoard’s Dairyman 1989;134(13):579.

² Keefe G, ManDonald K, Cameron M. On-Farm culture use experience and impact on antimicrobial use. University of Prince Edward Island, Charolottetown, PE, Canada.

³ Schukken YH, Zurakowski MJ, Rauch BJ, et al. Non-inferiority trial comparing a first-generation cephalosporin with athird-generation cephalosporin in the treatment of non-severe clinical mastitis in dairy cows.

⁴ Miltenburg JD, de Lange D, Crauwels AP, et al. Incidence of clinical mastitis in a random sample of dairy herds in the southernNetherlands. Vet Rec 1996;139(9):204–207.

⁵ Hess JL, Neuder LM, Sears PM. Rethinking clinical mastitis therapy. Presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the National Mastitis Council; Jan. 27, 2003; Fort Worth, TX.

Culture based mastitis treatment can help increase treatment success rates and result in using antibiotics judiciously. It allows producers to treat mastitis infections effectively from the start, and also minimizes unnecessary antibiotic treatments for infections that will clear on their own.