ABSTRACT
Mastitis is an important problem for the Santa Inês ewes and is a disease strongly related to the management carried out in the herd. A comparative study was carried out between the proposed method based on drying (treatment) and the traditional method (control). Sixty-two Santa Inês ewes raised in a semi-extensive system were divided in two groups of 31 ewes each: treatment group (G1) and control group (G2). The animals were monitored each week searching for clinical sings of mastitis. In 8.4 percent of G1 and 41.3 percent of G2 animals, the udder was warm and hyperemic. The presence of residual milk was lower in G1 (24.3 percent) compared to those of G2 (74.2 percent). The proposed treatment for the control of ovine mastitis significantly reduced the frequency of the clinical signs of the disease.