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Implementation of mastitis control strategies has led to a change in the incidence and etiology of mastitis over the past 40 years. This change has resulted in a decrease in the prevalence of contagious mastitis pathogens and an increase in the relative, and arguably absolute, importance of the environmental pathogens such as Streptococcus uberis and Escherichia coli on the vast majority of well-managed dairy units [1–3]. These changes have necessitated a rethink in our approach to mastitis control, and have led to a reassessment of the importance of the nonlactating period in mastitis epidemiology.

Typically, the dry cow has been ‘‘out of sight and out of mind,’’and all too often udder health is neglected during the dry period. This article reviews the importance of the dry period in mastitis epidemiology and looks at options for mastitis control during the dry period in the light of recent advances in management and …