The dairy industry uses washes and dips that maintain the teats and udders of dairy cattle clean and sanitary and thereby prevent mastitis. These preparations are intended to kill microbes pathogenic to the cow and also to mankind, as most of the milk is intended for human consumption. Such dips, washes and sanitizing preparations contain an anti-microbial agent, usually chorine based, as well as a surface active agent and materials to keep the skin of the udder in good condition, such as emollients and soothing materials like glycerin and propylene glycol.
Chlorine based anti-microbial agents present several disadvantages that militate against their use in contact with animal tissue., and particularly the sensitive tissue that makes up the teats and udders of cows. Thus, such chlorine based agents can only be used in limited concentrations to prevent udder and teat injury, and even such lower concentrations, which are thereby limited in their effectiveness as bactericides, may have a tendency to irritate the skin of udders and cause discomfort to the animal during and even after the dip or wash has been completed.
Another problem that arises from the use of chlorine based anti-microbial dips and washes of cows' udders and teats is that subsequent washing of the udders may be incomplete, so that a chlorine residue remains on the udders after a water wash. Such residue can cause irritation of the udder for some period of time thereafter and, if the cow is milked during that period, the chlorine residue may find its way into the milk and constitute a health hazard. It is thus deemed desirable to avoid the use of chlorinated compounds in products which are consumed or may come into contact with human tissues, as many of them decompose and the chorine that is liberated can combine with organic agents to form carcinogens. As a consequence, there is a need for effective anti-microbial agents for the specific use of washing or dipping the udders of cows, which agents are based on active ingredients other than chlorine.
It is, therefore, a primary object of my invention to provide anti-microbial agents for cleansing the udders and teats of dairy cows, which agents are not based on the use of a chlorine composition as an active ingredient thereof.
It is another object of my invention to provide antimicrobial agents for cleansing and sanitizing the udders and teats of cows, which agents, if some residue thereof does find its way into the human food supply, will be harmless to humans.