Have clean hands and clean the end of the teat as for sterile sampling
Never overfill the tubes - the milk should just fill the small gap in the gel. Excess milk will ferment spontaneously and produce acid which will give a false positive result
A clean cotton bud or sterile pipette can be used to apply milk to the well to limit overfilling
If further confirmation is required, take a further milk sample, label it and freeze it for later use
Consistent incubation using the hot water cylinder is best - if using a pocket, make sure it is always warm
When reading the tubes, hold up to bright light
Be patient with non-reacting tubes. When bug counts are low, it can take 24-48 hours for them to grow
To ensure that you get the best value from your Overnighter tests, keep communicating with your vet, and return the used tests in the return bag with your results marked on it. This information can be used to refine treatment programmes, help assist future prescription needs, and identify key mastitis management issues such as milking machine issues.
