Milk extraction device for indicating the health status of an animal

Abstract

A milking apparatus (100) comprising a milking machine (116) for milking an animal (110), the milking apparatus (100) comprising a control unit (120) configured to: obtain an identity of the animal (110) associated with the milking of the animal (110), obtain a reference point (300) in the lactation cycle of the identified animal (110), determine to collect at least one milk sample from the animal (110) when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the reference point (300), obtain a haptoglobin level (210) from the milk sample, compare the obtained haptoglobin level (210) with a haptoglobin reference limit (215), and indicate a health status of the animal (110) based on the comparison made.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification discloses a milking apparatus. More particularly, the milking apparatus comprises a milking machine for milking an animal, and the milking apparatus comprises a control unit as described for indicating the health status of the animal.

Background Art

[0002] In dairy farms, the health of animals is important because if an animal gets sick, it may affect the milk production of the animal. In the worst-case scenario, if a sick animal is not identified at an early stage of the progression, the disease may spread among the herd and / or the sick animal may have to be taken out of production.

[0003] There are many ways to detect diseases among animals. Typically, all of these methods involve either visual inspection by the farmer and / or some kind of test that the farmer performs on the animal, and then the results need to be analyzed. This usually takes time. Farmers are often engaged in many different tasks on the farm and may need to completely set aside their daily work in case of an emergency, such as when an animal escapes from the pasture or when an animal is in labor.

[0004] For these reasons, it is desirable to develop a tool to assist farmers in investigating the health status of animals on the farm, which requires little or preferably no interaction by the farmer.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve at least some of the above problems and indicate the health status of an animal.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, this object is achieved by a milking device comprising a milking machine for milking an animal. The milking device comprises a control unit. The control unit is configured to obtain the identity of the animal related to the milking of the animal. Further, the control unit is configured to obtain a reference point of the lactation cycle of the identified animal. In addition, the control unit is configured to determine to collect at least one milk sample of the animal when a predetermined period has elapsed from the reference point. Also, the control unit is configured to obtain the haptoglobin level from the milk sample. Further, the control unit is configured to compare the obtained haptoglobin level with a haptoglobin reference limit. The control unit is configured to indicate the health state of the animal based on the comparison made.

[0007] Determination of the haptoglobin level of an extracted milk sample of an animal, triggered by the elapse of a predetermined period from a reference point, and by comparing the current haptoglobin level with a haptoglobin reference limit, it is possible to determine whether the current haptoglobin level is higher or lower than the haptoglobin reference limit. Thereby, a health indicator regarding the animal is obtained, which can trigger additional milk sample extraction and biomarker measurement, and / or other health-related measurements such as visual inspection by the farmer, measurement of the animal's body temperature, etc. Thereby, unhealthy animals can be identified at an early stage, and in order to minimize or at least reduce the animal's pain and the adverse effect on milk production, an initial stage and further health diagnosis and appropriate measures can be started. In addition, or alternatively, if the current haptoglobin level is lower than the haptoglobin reference limit, the animal can be classified as healthy. Thereby, the farmer can concentrate visual inspection and / or other means on the farm on other animals whose current haptoglobin is higher than the haptoglobin reference limit or which present deviated / unexpected values.

[0008] In the implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect, the control unit can be further configured to repeatedly collect milk samples from an animal. Also, the control unit can be configured to store in the memory of the milking device the obtained haptoglobin levels of the respective milk samples in association with a time reference. Further, the control unit can determine the difference between the obtained haptoglobin level and the previously stored haptoglobin level. Also, the indicator of the health status can be based on the determined difference.

[0009] The repeatedly collected milk samples from the animal may be extracted at approximately the same time or at different times. By extracting at least two milk samples approximately simultaneously and measuring the haptoglobin levels of both samples independently of each other, the validity of the measurement can be increased when the values correspond to each other, or alternatively, an incorrect measurement can be identified.

[0010] For example, for each milking event of the animal, by repeatedly extracting at least two milk samples at separate times, such as once a day, once every two days, once every three days, etc., measuring the haptoglobin levels of the samples, and storing each measured haptoglobin level value in a database, the historical development of the measured haptoglobin levels of the animal can be studied. The haptoglobin levels that can be most studied can be between the currently measured haptoglobin level and the most recently stored haptoglobin level of the animal. The direction and magnitude of any difference detected between these values can form the basis for the health analysis of the animal. When the detected difference exceeds a predetermined or configurable trigger limit, further health-related measurements can be triggered, such as a visual inspection of the animal by the farmer.

[0011] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, the control unit can be configured to calculate a haptoglobin reference limit based on the value of at least one stored haptoglobin level.

[0012] The haptoglobin reference limit can be determined individually for each animal based on previously determined and memorized haptoglobin level values. The reference limit may be based on the average value of the memorized haptoglobin level values or the moving average of the memorized haptoglobin level values. The reference limit can be set to a value obtained by multiplying the memorized haptoglobin level value by, for example, 3.14, or another similar value of approximately the same magnitude.

[0013] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, the control unit can be further configured to collect a further milk sample from the animal. Further, the control unit can be configured to select a supplementary biomarker separate from haptoglobin. Also, the control unit can be configured to obtain a supplementary biomarker level of the selected supplementary biomarker from a further milk sample of the animal. Also, the control unit can be configured to obtain a supplementary biomarker level of the selected supplementary biomarker from a further milk sample of the animal. Further, the control unit can be configured to compare the obtained supplementary biomarker level with a supplementary biomarker reference limit. Further, the indicated health state of the animal is based on the comparison made between the supplementary biomarker level and the supplementary biomarker reference limit, and the comparison between the haptoglobin level and the haptoglobin reference limit.

[0014] By further extracting milk samples and determining supplementary biomarkers separate from haptoglobin, and comparing each biomarker with its respective reference limit, the health state of the animal can be determined with improved accuracy and reliability.

[0015] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, the control unit can be configured to repeatedly collect additional milk samples from the animal. Also, the control unit can be configured to store in the memory of the milking device the obtained supplementary biomarker levels of each additional milk sample in association with a time reference. Further, the control unit can also be configured to determine the difference between the obtained supplementary biomarker levels and the previously stored supplementary biomarker levels. Also, the indicator of the health state can be based on the determined difference.

[0016] The repeatedly collected milk samples from the animal may be extracted at approximately the same time or at different times. By extracting at least two milk samples approximately simultaneously and measuring the supplementary biomarker levels of both samples independently of each other, when the values correspond to each other, the validity of the measurement can be increased, or alternatively, an incorrect measurement can be identified.

[0017] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, the control unit can be configured to calculate a supplementary biomarker reference limit based on at least one stored supplementary biomarker level.

[0018] Thereby, the supplementary biomarker reference limit can be determined individually for each animal based on the previously determined and stored supplementary biomarker level values, for example, by setting the supplementary biomarker reference limit to approximately a value obtained by multiplying the stored supplementary biomarker level value by any parameter, or by setting it to an average value based on a value obtained by multiplying the stored value by any parameter.

[0019] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, the control unit can be configured to obtain a supplementary biomarker level when triggered by the obtained haptoglobin level exceeding a haptoglobin reference limit. Also, the control unit can be configured to compare it with a supplementary biomarker reference limit. Additionally, the control unit can also be configured to compare the supplementary biomarker level with the supplementary biomarker reference limit. The control unit can be configured to indicate the health state of the animal based on the comparison made between the supplementary biomarker level and the supplementary biomarker reference limit, and the comparison between the haptoglobin level and the haptoglobin reference limit.

[0020] Thereby, the health state of the animal can be precisely determined with improved accuracy.

[0021] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, the control unit can be further configured to obtain a supplementary biomarker level when it is detected that the difference between the obtained haptoglobin level and the previously stored haptoglobin level exceeds a threshold limit. Also, the control unit can be configured to obtain the supplementary biomarker level. Additionally, the control unit can also be configured to compare the supplementary biomarker level with the supplementary biomarker reference limit. Further, the control unit can be configured to indicate the health state of the animal based on the comparison made between the supplementary biomarker level and the supplementary biomarker reference limit, and the comparison between the haptoglobin level and the haptoglobin reference limit.

[0022] Thereby, a sudden change in the haptoglobin level of the animal can trigger the measurement of the supplementary biomarker level. Next, based on the comparison between the supplementary biomarker level and the supplementary biomarker reference limit, the health state of the animal can be determined with improved reliability.

[0023] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, the control unit can be configured to determine to collect a further milk sample from the animal when triggered by the elapse of a predetermined period from a reference point in time.

[0024] Thereby, a milk sample from the animal, and thereby also the haptoglobin level and / or the supplementary biomarker level, can be collected from the animal during a predetermined critical period.

[0025] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, the control unit can be further configured to collect a third milk sample from the animal when triggered by the acquired haptoglobin level exceeding a haptoglobin reference limit. Also, the control unit can be configured to select an additional biomarker, separate from haptoglobin and the supplementary biomarker. The control unit can be configured to obtain an additional biomarker level of the selected additional biomarker from the third milk sample of the animal. Further, the control unit can be configured to compare the acquired additional biomarker level with an additional biomarker reference limit. Also, the indicated health state of the animal can be based on the performed comparison between the additional biomarker level and the additional biomarker reference limit.

[0026] By collecting further milk samples and determining further additional biomarker levels, the health state of the animal can be determined with improved reliability.

[0027] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, the control unit can be further configured to select a supplementary biomarker from among lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB), conductivity, or somatic cell count.

[0028] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, the control unit can be further configured to select an additional biomarker from among BHB, conductivity, or somatic cell count, which is different from the supplementary biomarker.

[0029] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, the control unit can be configured to indicate the health status of the animal as being related to metritis when a predetermined period is between about 5 and 10 days and the obtained haptoglobin level exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit.

[0030] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, when the haptoglobin level exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level is lower than the supplementary biomarker reference limit, the health status of metritis can be indicated by the control unit.

[0031] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, the control unit can be configured to indicate the health status of the animal as being related to endometritis when a predetermined period is between about 11 and 30 days and the obtained haptoglobin level exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit.

[0032] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, when the obtained haptoglobin level exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level is lower than the supplementary biomarker reference limit, the health status of endometritis can be indicated by the control unit.

[0033] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, the control unit can be configured to indicate the health state of the animal as being related to difficulty walking when a predetermined period is between about 40 and 100 days and the obtained haptoglobin level exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit.

[0034] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, when the obtained supplementary biomarker level is lower than the supplementary biomarker reference limit while the haptoglobin level exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit, the control unit can indicate the health state of difficulty walking.

[0035] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, the control unit can be configured to indicate the health state of the animal as being related to acute mastitis when a predetermined period is between about 0 and 30 days and the obtained haptoglobin level exceeds a second haptoglobin reference limit that is higher than the haptoglobin reference limit.

[0036] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, when the obtained haptoglobin level exceeds the second haptoglobin reference limit and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level exceeds the supplementary biomarker reference limit, the control unit can indicate the health state of acute mastitis.

[0037] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, the control unit can be configured to indicate the health state of the animal as being related to chronic mastitis when the obtained haptoglobin level is higher than a third haptoglobin reference limit that is higher than the haptoglobin reference limit and at the same time lower than the haptoglobin reference limit.

[0038] In a further implementation of the milking device according to the first aspect or any of its embodiments, when the obtained haptoglobin level is higher than a third haptoglobin reference limit and at the same time lower than the haptoglobin reference limit over at least 30 consecutive days, and the obtained supplementary biomarker level is higher than the supplementary biomarker reference limit, the health state of chronic mastitis can be indicated by the control unit.

[0039] By determining the haptoglobin level of an extracted milk sample of an animal at a given time point and, optionally, also other biomarker measurements and comparing them with their respective reference limits, a health indicator for the animal is obtained, and the health indicator can trigger additional milk sample extraction and other health-related measurements such as biomarker measurement and / or visual inspection by the farmer, measurement of the animal's body temperature.

[0040] Thereby, unhealthy animals can be identified at an early stage, and in order to minimize or at least reduce the animal's pain and the adverse effect on milk yield, an initial stage and further health diagnosis and appropriate measures can be initiated. Additionally, or alternatively, if the current haptoglobin level is lower than the haptoglobin reference limit, the animal can be classified as healthy. Thereby, the farmer can concentrate visual inspection and / or other means on the farm on animals for which the current haptoglobin is higher than the haptoglobin reference limit or which present deviated / unexpected values.

[0041] Other advantages and additional novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0042] Here, embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0044] Embodiments of the invention described herein are defined as milking devices, which can be implemented in the embodiments described below. However, these embodiments can be exemplified and realized in many different forms and cannot be limited to the examples described herein. Rather, examples of these exemplary embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure is thorough and complete.

[0045] Still other objectives and features may become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not formulated as a definition of the limits of the embodiments disclosed herein, for which the appended claims are referred to. Furthermore, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to a fixed scale and are merely intended to conceptually show the structures and procedures described herein, unless otherwise indicated.

[0046] Figure 1 shows a scenario where a milking device 100 is in a milking room 105 on a farm. The milking device 100 includes a milking machine 116 for milking an animal 110.

[0047] The milking room 105 may include, for example, a stanchion, a milking robot, a rotary milking platform, etc.

[0048] "Animal" may be any kind of domesticated animal that produces milk, such as cows, goats, sheep, camels, water buffalo, yaks, etc.

[0049] The milking device 100 includes a control unit 120. The control unit 120 is configured to identify the animal 110. The animal 110 can be identified by tags attached to the body parts of the animal 110, such as, for example, the head of the animal 110, the ears of the animal 110, etc. The tag can include information that uniquely identifies the animal 110, i.e., identity criteria.

[0050] Based on signals emitted by the tag, which may be received by the transceiver 125 connected to the control unit 120, the control unit 120 can determine the identity of the animal 110 and / or, optionally, body state parameters or activities.

[0051] Alternatively, in some embodiments, the animal 110 may be identified by images captured by a camera / video camera 140, for example, during milking or at any other convenient moment. The captured images can be compared with previously stored images of the farm animals, which may be stored in the database 130 associated with respective identity criteria. As a result of the comparison, if a match is obtained based on skin pattern matching, the associated identity criteria can be extracted.

[0052] Once the identity of the animal 110 is determined, the control unit 120 is configured to determine a reference point of the lactation cycle of the identified animal 110. The reference point of the lactation cycle can be, for example, the calving date of the animal 110, the number of lactation days, etc.

[0053] Next, a milk sample can be extracted from the animal 110 during the milking process of the animal 110 in the milking machine 116 when a predetermined period has elapsed since the reference point of the lactation cycle.

[0054] The time intervals against a plurality of different instants, or either a reference time point or the most recent extraction of the milk sample, may be predefined or may be configurable. During a plurality of different periods of the lactation cycle, it has been observed that various animal diseases are more likely to occur than other animal diseases. For example, mastitis can occur throughout the lactation period, but most frequently occurs during the first approximately 30 days after parturition. Metritis is most frequently seen within the first approximately 5 - 10 days after parturition, endometritis is most frequently seen within approximately 11 - 30 days after parturition, while lameness often begins to be seen within approximately 40 - 80 days from parturition.

[0055] Based on these observations, milk samples for each disease can be extracted, and the analysis of the extracted milk samples can be carried out focusing on each disease related to that period.

[0056] The control unit 120 is also configured to analyze the milk sample by obtaining the haptoglobin level from the milk sample of the identified animal 110.

[0057] Haptoglobin is an acute-phase protein. During the acute phase of inflammation, haptoglobin is secreted from the liver and binds to iron in the blood, thereby reducing the growth conditions of pathogens. Subsequently, the haptoglobin level of the animal 110 rises to a high concentration. Therefore, the haptoglobin level can be considered as an indicator of the health status of the animal 110.

[0058] An increase in the haptoglobin level is an early inflammation marker. By detecting an increase in the haptoglobin level, the inflammatory reaction can be immediately detected, and the course of inflammation can be detected early.

[0059] In some embodiments, the haptoglobin level can be determined by a sensor 112 configured to determine the haptoglobin level from the milk sample of the animal 110 and provide the determined haptoglobin level to the control unit 120.

[0060] Associated diseases, namely mastitis, metritis, endometritis, lameness, may be invisible or asymptomatic and / or may be visible or symptomatic. In the asymptomatic version, the disease affects the animal 110 in a hidden manner and the animal's behavior is slightly suppressed.

[0061] Since haptoglobin is released independently of the disease, the conceptual idea of this solution is to combine the haptoglobin measurement of the biometric model with other measurements such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as a descriptor of breast health and days since parturition to indicate the most likely disease.

[0062] LDH is an enzyme found in almost all living cells of animals. LDH catalyzes the conversion of lactate to pyruvate and vice versa in order to convert NAD+ to NADH and vice versa. Dehydrogenase is an enzyme that transfers hydride from one molecule to another.

[0063] Next, the determined haptoglobin level of the milk sample of the identified animal 110 is compared with the haptoglobin reference limit. The haptoglobin reference limit can be determined in advance and stored in the database 130. Based on the comparison made, the health status of the animal 110 can be indicated.

[0064] By determining the haptoglobin level applied to the biometric model, the animal 110 can be classified as a healthy animal or an animal of concern that may require additional health analysis. Thus, haptoglobin levels that deviate from the normal haptoglobin level interval can trigger a more detailed health diagnosis of the animal 110 in question by applying further tests or warning the farmer or veterinarian about the visual inspection of the animal 110.

[0065] In some embodiments, the aforementioned optional tag of the animal 110 may also be equipped with a device for determining the activity of the animal 110, such as, for example, an accelerometer, a pedometer, a pulse meter, a blood pressure monitoring device, a thermometer for determining the body temperature of the animal 110, etc. In some specific embodiments, this information can be monitored by the control unit 120 and used to determine / confirm the health status of the animal 110 as a complement to other information of the animal 110.

[0066] Animals suffering from illness usually have characteristics such as moving less than healthy animals, lying down for longer periods than healthy animals, and having a higher body temperature than healthy animals.

[0067] The optional accelerometer of the tag can perform high-frequency recording of biaxial and / or triaxial acceleration, thereby enabling discrimination of behavioral patterns such as determining whether the animal 110 is standing or lying down. In some embodiments, the behavioral pattern for the auxiliary diagnosis of the animal 110 can complement other information based on the haptoglobin level measured to estimate the health status of the animal 110.

[0068] The tag may include a transponder that includes the identity criteria of the animal 110. The tag can typically emit a wireless signal that can be received by the control unit 120 via several transceivers, such as at least three transceivers.

[0069] The wireless signal can be created by transmitting it between the tag and the wireless signal transceiver via any convenient wireless communication technology, such as ultra-wideband (UWB), Bluetooth (BT), wireless universal serial bus (Wireless USB), radio frequency identification (RFID), Wi-Fi, etc.

[0070] In some embodiments, the warning may be sent to the communication device 150 of the farmer or other relevant person / responsible party of the farm. The identification reference and the possibly suspected disease can be indicated in the message to the farmer, whereby the farmer can take various measures, such as examining the identified animal 110.

[0071] Thereby, with the solution of the present disclosure, the farmer no longer needs to pay attention to the health status of the animals by continuously running a monitoring program that requires labor. Instead, the farmer can focus on the identified problematic animals while ensuring that the animals on the farm are not allowed to remain in an unhealthy state.

[0072] Figure 2 shows, by way of example, the combinations between haptoglobin, LDH, and the number of days from the reference time point of the lactation cycle for a plurality of different health states of the animal 110. In this example, LDH is used as a supplementary biomarker that can be measured in some embodiments to verify the results of the haptoglobin level measurement. However, LDH is just one of many possible supplementary biomarkers, such as, for example, beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB), conductivity, and / or somatic cell count.

[0073] The typical haptoglobin levels 210 and typical LDH levels 220 in a plurality of different health states of the animal 110 are shown in this figure. Next, the determined haptoglobin level 210 and / or LDH level 220 can be compared with the haptoglobin reference limit 215 and / or the supplementary biomarker reference limit 225, respectively, to indicate the health status of the animal 110.

[0074] Also shown are a second haptoglobin reference limit 235 that is higher than the haptoglobin reference limit 215, and a third haptoglobin reference limit 245 that is lower than both the haptoglobin reference limit 215 and the second haptoglobin reference limit 235. These second haptoglobin reference limit 235 and third haptoglobin reference limit 245 can be used, in some embodiments, to distinguish between multiple different health states of the animal 110.

[0075] The haptoglobin level 210 and the supplementary biomarker level 220 can typically vary somewhat for multiple different animal sectors / types, multiple different animal solids, for example due to different genetic predispositions. For this reason, the haptoglobin reference limits 215, 235, 245 and / or the supplementary biomarker reference limit 225 can be set to different respective values for, for example, different animal species, different farms, different animal groups on one farm, animals of different ages on that farm / lactation numbers at the farm, or different animal solids and the like.

[0076] Interpreting the example values shown in FIG. 2, the typical haptoglobin level 210 for a healthy animal can be about 800, the typical haptoglobin level 210 for a healthy newly born animal can be about 1200, the typical haptoglobin level 210 for an animal 110 with metritis can be about 4800, the typical haptoglobin level 210 for an animal 110 with lameness can be about 3800, the typical haptoglobin level 210 for an animal 110 with acute mastitis can be about 6700, and / or the typical haptoglobin level 210 for an animal 110 with chronic mastitis can be about 2200. These different values of the haptoglobin level 210 in different health states should be regarded merely as examples of values. The relative position of the haptoglobin level 210 in different health states with respect to the haptoglobin reference limit 215 is more interesting for determining the health state of the animal 110 than the haptoglobin level 210 itself.

[0077] When analyzing animal 110, a haptoglobin level 210 is determined. Next, the determined haptoglobin level 210 is compared with a haptoglobin reference limit 215, and the result is analyzed, that is, the comparison can lead to a conclusion as to whether the haptoglobin level 210 is higher or lower than the haptoglobin reference limit 215. If the haptoglobin level 210 is lower than the haptoglobin reference limit 215, it can be determined that animal 110 is healthy or suffering from chronic mastitis. Otherwise, animal 110 may be suffering from myometritis, lameness, endometritis, and / or acute mastitis, and its health status can be confirmed based on the elapsed time from the reference time point and / or a supplementary biomarker level 220.

[0078] To more accurately determine the result, in some embodiments, for example, further analysis can be performed by determining the period elapsed from the reference time point of the lactation cycle of the identified animal 110. If the predetermined period elapsed from the reference time point exceeds 30 days, chronic mastitis may be suspected. Another possible further analysis may be to determine the LDH level 220 of animal 110 and compare it with a supplementary biomarker reference limit 225. If the determined LDH level 220 is lower than the supplementary biomarker reference limit 225, it can be determined that animal 110 is healthy. Otherwise, when the LDH level 220 exceeds the supplementary biomarker reference limit 225, animal 110 may be suspected of suffering from chronic mastitis. A warning can be sent to the farmer and / or registration can be made in the database 130 regarding the health status of animal 110.

[0079] When both the haptoglobin level 210 and the supplemental biomarker level 220 are measured, both of these biomarkers can be used to more precisely determine the health status of the animal 110. If the haptoglobin level 210 is lower than the haptoglobin reference limit 215, the supplemental biomarker level 220 is lower than the supplemental biomarker reference limit 225, and / or the elapsed time from the reference point is less than 30 days, the animal 110 can be considered healthy.

[0080] The newly born animal 110 is an animal that has recently given birth, i.e., within the past 30 days. If the haptoglobin level 210 is lower than the haptoglobin reference limit 215 and the supplemental biomarker level 220 is lower than the supplemental biomarker reference limit 225, the animal 110 can be determined to be healthy.

[0081] In some embodiments, the analysis based on the haptoglobin level 210, the supplemental biomarker level 220, and the period elapsed from the reference point can be completed by additional biomarkers separate from the haptoglobin and the supplemental biomarker (e.g., LDH). The additional biomarker may include, for example, BHB, conductivity, or somatic cell count. If the determined level of the additional biomarker / BHB is within the range of healthy animals, the animal 110 can be determined to be healthy. When BHB is high, the reason for the high level of the additional biomarker / BHB is likely due to nutritional components and feed intake rather than illness.

[0082] Figure 3 schematically shows the reference point 300 of the lactation cycle of the identified animal 110, for example, the moment of parturition.

[0083] This figure shows how multiple different diseases can be related to multiple different elapsed periods from the determined reference point 300.

[0084] In some embodiments where the elapsed time from the reference time point 300 is less than 10 days, the haptoglobin level 210 is lower than the haptoglobin reference limit 215, and the supplementary biomarker level 220 is lower than the supplementary biomarker reference limit 225, the most likely disease is myometritis.

[0085] The idea according to some embodiments may be to profile the level of haptoglobin 210 and use a time detection model with measurements at specific predetermined time points to identify the peak points indicating illness.

[0086] When the elapsed period from the determined reference time point 300 is between about 40 and 80 days, the level of haptoglobin 210 exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit 215, and at the same time, the supplementary biomarker level 220 is lower than the supplementary biomarker reference limit 225, the most likely disease is dysphagia.

[0087] When the haptoglobin level 210 is higher than the haptoglobin reference limit 215 and the supplementary biomarker level 220 exceeds the supplementary biomarker reference limit 225, the animal 110 may be suffering from acute mastitis. The time detection model may be able to classify spikes in the supplementary biomarker level 220, such as LDH or conductivity, into either acute mastitis or chronic cases.

[0088] For example, if an increase in the supplementary biomarker level 220 is detected, an instruction to measure the haptoglobin level 210 can be executed, and the result may help determine the type of treatment.

[0089] When the acute phase of inflammation ends and the haptoglobin level 210 becomes lower, for example, lower than the haptoglobin reference limit 215 but constant, this may indicate that the animal 110 is suffering from inflammation.

[0090] Using the haptoglobin level measurement in the time detection model, it is possible to distinguish whether animal 110 is healthy or not. By combining the measured value of the haptoglobin level with the measured values of other biomarkers, further indicators related to the disease can be shown.

[0091] Figure 4 shows an example of method 400 according to an embodiment. The flowchart of Figure 4 shows method 400 executed within control unit 120 to assist a farmer in determining the health status of animal 110. Control unit 120 is included in milking apparatus 100 which also includes milking machine 116.

[0092] To correctly assist the farmer in determining the health status of the animal, method 400 can include several steps 401-406. However, some of these steps 401-406 may only be executed in some alternative embodiments. Further, the described steps 401-406 may be executed in a time series that is somewhat different from what the numbering suggests. Method 400 can include the following steps.

[0093] Step 401 includes obtaining the identity criteria of animal 110.

[0094] The identity criteria can include any globally or locally unique indicator that enables clear identification of animal 110, for example, via the RFID tag of animal 110, such as through image recognition of animal 110 or image recognition of the animal's number plate.

[0095] Step 402 includes obtaining the reference time point 300 of the lactation cycle of the identified animal 110.

[0096] In some embodiments, the reference time point 300 may be the moment of childbirth / delivery. However, any other moment within the lactation cycle can be used as the reference time point 300. Information regarding the lactation cycle of the animal 110 can be obtained from the memory / database 130 associated with the identity criteria of the animal 110.

[0097] Step 403 includes determining to collect at least one milk sample of the animal 110 when a predetermined period has elapsed from the reference time point 300.

[0098] In some embodiments, the predetermined period may be a time interval, for example, between 16 and 32 hours. In some embodiments, the predetermined period can be synchronized with the estimated milking cycle of the animal 110, that is, the milk sample can be extracted from the animal 110 during or in association with the normal milking of the animal 110.

[0099] In some embodiments, the milk samples of the animal 110 can be repeatedly collected at regular or irregular time intervals, for example, twice a day, daily, and / or within a certain time interval from the extraction of the last milk sample, such as within 15 to 30 hours from the last milk sample.

[0100] Step 404 includes obtaining the haptoglobin level 210 from the extracted milk sample.

[0101] The haptoglobin level 210 can be determined by chemical analysis by the sensor 112. In some embodiments, the sensor 112 may be based on dry stick technology. Alternatively, it may be based on a commercially available ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test device for determining haptoglobin in a milk sample.

[0102] The obtained haptoglobin levels 210 of each milk sample can, in some embodiments, be stored in the memory 130 of the milking apparatus 100 in association with a time reference and also in association with the identity criteria of the animal 110.

[0103] Step 405 includes comparing the obtained haptoglobin level 210 with a haptoglobin reference limit 215.

[0104] The haptoglobin reference limit 215 can be calculated based on the value of at least one stored haptoglobin level 210.

[0105] In some embodiments, the difference between the obtained haptoglobin level 210 and the previously stored haptoglobin level 210 can be determined.

[0106] Step 406 includes indicating the health status of the animal 110 based on the comparison made between the obtained haptoglobin level 210 and the haptoglobin reference limit 215.

[0107] In some embodiments, when the obtained haptoglobin level 210 is lower than the haptoglobin reference limit 215 and the animal 110 has no record of previous acute mastitis, the animal 110 can be considered healthy.

[0108] The indicator of the health status can be based on the determined difference between the obtained haptoglobin level 210 and the haptoglobin reference limit 215.

[0109] FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a milking apparatus 100 comprising a milking machine 116 for milking an animal 110, the milking apparatus 100 comprising a control unit 120.

[0110] The control unit 120 is configured to execute at least some of the aforementioned steps 401 to 406 according to the method 400 described above and shown in FIG. 4. Thereby, the control unit 120 is configured to obtain the identity of the animal 110 related to the milking of the animal 110. Further, the control unit 120 is configured to obtain the reference time point 300 of the lactation cycle of the identified animal 110. Also, the control unit 120 is configured to determine to collect at least one milk sample of the animal 110 when a predetermined period has elapsed since the reference time point 300. The control unit 120 is further configured to obtain the haptoglobin level 210 from the milk sample. The control unit 120 is additionally configured to compare the obtained haptoglobin level 210 with the haptoglobin reference limit 215. Further, the control unit 120 is configured to indicate the health state of the animal 110 based on the comparison made.

[0111] In some embodiments, the control unit 120 can also be further configured to repeatedly collect milk samples of the animal 110. Further, the control unit 120 can be configured to store the obtained haptoglobin levels 210 of the respective milk samples in association with a time reference in the memory 130 of the milking device 100. Also, the control unit 120 can additionally be configured to determine the difference between the obtained haptoglobin level 210 and the previously stored haptoglobin level 210. Further, the control unit 120 can also be configured to indicate the health state based on the determined difference.

[0112] In some embodiments, the control unit 120 can be configured to calculate a haptoglobin reference limit 215 based on the value of at least one stored haptoglobin level 210. The haptoglobin reference limit 215 can be, for example, an average value based on the number of stored haptoglobin level values, or a stored haptoglobin level value that was sampled and stored at the moment when other health monitoring such as visual inspection, body temperature, milk volume, etc. indicated that the animal 110 was healthy.

[0113] Furthermore, the control unit 120 can be configured to determine to collect a further milk sample from the animal 110. The control unit 120 can also be configured to select a supplementary biomarker distinct from haptoglobin in some embodiments. Also, the control unit 120 can be configured to obtain a supplementary biomarker level 220 of the selected supplementary biomarker from a further milk sample of the animal 110. The control unit 120 can be further configured to compare the obtained supplementary biomarker level 220 with a supplementary biomarker reference limit 225. The control unit 120 can also be configured to indicate the health status of the animal 110 based on the comparison made between the supplementary biomarker level 220 and the supplementary biomarker reference limit 225, and the comparison between the haptoglobin level 210 and the haptoglobin reference limit 215.

[0114] The supplementary biomarker may include, for example, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Alternatively, the supplementary biomarker may include beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB), conductivity, somatic cell count, etc.

[0115] In some further embodiments, the control unit 120 can be configured to repeatedly collect additional milk samples of the animal 110. The control unit 120 can also be configured to store, in the memory 130 of the milking device 100, the obtained supplementary biomarker levels 220 of the respective additional milk samples in association with a time reference. Additionally, the control unit 120 can be configured to determine the difference between the obtained supplementary biomarker levels 220 and the previously stored supplementary biomarker levels 220. The control unit 120 can also be configured to indicate the health status of the animal 110 based on the determined difference between the obtained supplementary biomarker levels 220 and the previously stored supplementary biomarker levels 220.

[0116] The control unit 120 can be configured to calculate a supplementary biomarker reference limit 225 based on at least one stored supplementary biomarker level 220.

[0117] In some embodiments, the control unit 120 can be configured to obtain the supplementary biomarker level 220 when triggered by the obtained haptoglobin level 210 exceeding the haptoglobin reference limit 215. Further, the control unit 120 can additionally be configured to compare it with the supplementary biomarker reference limit 225. The control unit 120 can also be configured to indicate the health status of the animal 110 based on the performed comparison between the supplementary biomarker level 220 and the supplementary biomarker reference limit 225, and the comparison between the haptoglobin level 210 and the haptoglobin reference limit 215.

[0118] In addition, the control unit 120 can be configured to obtain an auxiliary biomarker level 220 when it is triggered by detecting that the difference between the obtained haptoglobin level 210 and the previously stored haptoglobin level 210 exceeds a threshold. Further, the control unit 120 can be configured to compare it with a supplementary biomarker reference limit 225. Also, the control unit 120 can be configured to indicate the health status of the animal 110 based on the comparison made between the supplementary biomarker level 220 and the supplementary biomarker reference limit 225, and the comparison between the haptoglobin level 210 and the haptoglobin reference limit 215.

[0119] In some further embodiments, the control unit 120 can be configured to determine to collect a further milk sample of the animal 110 when triggered by the elapse of a predetermined period from a reference time point 300.

[0120] The control unit 120 can be configured to determine to collect a third milk sample of the animal 110 when triggered by the obtained haptoglobin level 210 exceeding the haptoglobin reference limit 215. Further, the control unit 120 can be configured to select an additional supplementary biomarker distinct from the haptoglobin and the supplementary biomarker. Also, the control unit 120 can be configured to obtain an additional biomarker level of the selected additional biomarker from the third milk sample of the animal 110. Further, the control unit 120 can compare the obtained additional biomarker level with an additional biomarker reference limit and can be configured to indicate the health status of the animal 110 based on the comparison made between the additional biomarker and the additional biomarker level.

[0121] The control unit 120 can determine additional biomarkers. The additional biomarkers may be different from the supplementary biomarkers and may include, for example, BHB, conductivity, or somatic cell count. Thus, if the supplementary biomarker is determined to be BHB, the additional biomarker is determined not to be BHB but to be conductivity or somatic cell count, etc.

[0122] The control unit 120 can be configured to indicate the health state of the animal 110 as being related to metritis when a predetermined period is between about 5 and 10 days and the obtained haptoglobin level 210 exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit 215.

[0123] In some further embodiments where the supplementary biomarker level 220 is obtained, the control unit 120 can be configured to indicate the health state of metritis when the obtained haptoglobin level 210 exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit 215 and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level 220 is lower than the supplementary biomarker reference limit 225.

[0124] The control unit 120 can be configured to indicate the health state of the animal 110 as being related to endometritis when a predetermined period is between about 11 and 30 days and the obtained haptoglobin level 210 exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit 215.

[0125] In some embodiments where the supplementary biomarker level 220 is obtained, the control unit 120 can be configured to indicate the health state of endometritis when the obtained haptoglobin level 210 exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit 215 and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level 220 is lower than the supplementary biomarker reference limit 225.

[0126] The control unit 120 can be configured to indicate that the health state of the animal 110 is related to difficulty in walking when a predetermined period is between about 40 and 100 days and the obtained haptoglobin level 210 exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit 215.

[0127] In some further embodiments where a supplementary biomarker level 220 is obtained, the control unit 120 can be configured to indicate a health state of difficulty in walking when the obtained haptoglobin level 210 exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit 215 and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level 220 is lower than the supplementary biomarker reference limit 225.

[0128] The control unit 120 can be configured to indicate that the health state of the animal 110 is related to acute mastitis when a predetermined period is between about 0 and 30 days and the obtained haptoglobin level 210 exceeds a second haptoglobin reference limit 235 that is higher than the haptoglobin reference limit 215.

[0129] In some embodiments where a supplementary biomarker level 220 is obtained, the control unit 120 can also be configured to indicate a health state of acute mastitis when the obtained haptoglobin level 210 exceeds the second haptoglobin reference limit 235 and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level 220 exceeds the supplementary biomarker reference limit 225.

[0130] The control unit 120 can be configured to indicate that the health state of the animal 110 is related to chronic mastitis when the obtained haptoglobin level 210 is higher than a third haptoglobin reference limit 245 that is lower than the haptoglobin reference limit 215 and at the same time is lower than the haptoglobin reference limit 215.

[0131] In some embodiments where a supplemental biomarker level 220 is to be obtained, the control unit 120, for at least 30 consecutive days, determines that the obtained haptoglobin level 210 is higher than a third haptoglobin reference limit 245 while the obtained haptoglobin level 210 is lower than a haptoglobin reference limit 215, and that the obtained supplemental biomarker level 220 is higher than a supplemental biomarker reference limit 225, and may be configured to indicate a health state of chronic mastitis.

[0132] In some embodiments, the milking device 100 may also include a database 130 configured to store parameters related to the state of the animal.

[0133] The control unit 120 may include a receiver 510 configured to receive information from the sensor 112 from the transceiver 125.

[0134] The control unit 120 may also include a processing circuit 520 configured to perform various calculations for executing the method 400 according to at least some of the aforementioned steps 401-406.

[0135] Such a processing circuit 520 may include one or more instances of a processing circuit, i.e., a central processing unit (CPU), a processing device, a processing circuit, a processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor, or other processing logic capable of interpreting and executing instructions. Thus, the expression "processor" as used herein may represent a processing circuit including, for example, any, some, or all of those listed above, i.e., a plurality of processing circuits.

[0136] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the control unit 120 may comprise a memory 525. The optional memory 525 may include a physical device used to temporarily or permanently store data or programs, i.e., sequences of instructions. According to some embodiments, the memory 525 may include an integrated circuit comprising silicon-based transistors. The memory 525 may, in different embodiments, include, for example, a memory card, flash memory, a USB memory, a hard disk, or another similar volatile or non-volatile storage unit for storing data, such as, for example, a ROM (read-only memory), PROM (programmable read-only memory), EPROM (erasable PROM), EEPROM (electrically erasable PROM), etc.

[0137] Furthermore, the control unit 120 may comprise a signal transmitter 530. The signal transmitter 530 may be configured to transmit signals to the transceiver 125 and / or the database 130 via a wired or wireless communication interface.

[0138] However, in some alternative embodiments, the milking device 100 may comprise additional units for performing the method 400 according to steps 401-406.

[0139] The above steps 401-406 executed within the control unit 120 can be implemented through one or more processing circuits 520 within the control unit 120 together with a computer program for performing at least some of the functions of steps 401-406. Thus, the computer program, when executed by the control unit 120 within the system 100, includes instructions for causing the control unit 120 to perform the method 400 according to at least some of steps 401-406.

[0140] The above computer program can be provided, for example, in the form of a computer-readable medium, that is, a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing at least some of steps 401 to 406 according to some embodiments when loaded into one or more processing circuits 520 of the control unit 120. The data carrier may be, for example, a hard disk, a CD ROM disk, a memory stick, an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any other suitable medium such as a disk or a tape that can non-temporarily hold machine-readable data. The computer program may also be provided as computer program code on a server and may be downloaded remotely to the control unit 120 via, for example, an Internet or intranet connection.

[0141] As shown in the accompanying drawings, the terms used in the description of the embodiments are not intended to limit the method 400, the control unit 120, the computer program, the milking apparatus 100 and / or the computer-readable medium being described. Various changes, substitutions, and / or modifications can be made without departing from the embodiments of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0142] As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The term "or" as used herein should be interpreted as a mathematical OR, i.e., an inclusive disjunction, rather than a mathematical exclusive OR (XOR), unless otherwise specified. Further, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" should be interpreted as "at least one", and thus may include a plurality of entities of the same kind, unless otherwise specified. The terms "includes", "comprises", "including", and / or "comprising" specify the presence of the stated features, actions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, actions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. For example, a single unit such as a processor may perform the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain means or features are described in different dependent claims, shown in different figures, or discussed in connection with different embodiments does not indicate that a combination of these means or features cannot be used advantageously. A computer program may be stored / distributed on a suitable medium such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but may also be distributed in other forms such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless communication systems.

Claims

1. A milking device (100) comprising a milking machine (116) for milking an animal (110), wherein the milking device (100) comprises a control unit (120), and the control unit obtains the identity of the animal (110) related to the milking of the animal (110); obtains a reference time point (300) of the lactation cycle of the identified animal (110); collects at least one milk sample of the animal (110) when a predetermined period has elapsed from the reference time point (300) of the lactation cycle of the identified animal (110); obtains a haptoglobin level (210) from the milk sample; compares the obtained haptoglobin level (210) with a haptoglobin reference limit (215); is configured to indicate the health status of the animal (110) based on the comparison performed; the control unit (120) determines to collect a further milk sample of the animal (110); selects a supplementary biomarker distinct from haptoglobin; obtains a supplementary biomarker level (220) of the selected supplementary biomarker from the further milk sample of the animal (110); is configured to compare the obtained supplementary biomarker level (220) with a supplementary biomarker reference limit (225); the indicated health status of the animal (110) is based on the comparison performed between the supplementary biomarker level (220) and the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225), and the comparison between the obtained haptoglobin level (210) and the haptoglobin reference limit (215); when the obtained haptoglobin level (210) triggers by exceeding the haptoglobin reference limit (215), the control unit (120) obtains the supplementary biomarker level (220); compares the supplementary biomarker level with the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225); configured to perform the comparison between the supplementary biomarker level (220) and the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225), and to indicate the health state of the animal (110) based on the comparison between the obtained haptoglobin level (210) and the haptoglobin reference limit (215), a milking apparatus (100).

2. wherein the control unit (120) is configured to repeatedly collect milk samples of the animal (110), store in a memory (130) of the milking apparatus (100) the obtained haptoglobin level (210) of each milk sample in association with a time reference, configured to determine a difference between the obtained haptoglobin level (210) and a previously stored haptoglobin level (210), wherein an indicator of the health state is based on the determined difference, the milking apparatus (100) according to claim 1.

3. wherein the control unit (120) is configured to calculate the haptoglobin reference limit (215) based on values of at least one stored haptoglobin level (210), the milking apparatus (100) according to claim 2.

4. wherein the control unit (120) is configured to repeatedly collect further milk samples of the animal (110), store in a memory (130) of the milking apparatus (100) the obtained supplementary biomarker level (220) of each further milk sample in association with a time reference, configured to determine a difference between the obtained supplementary biomarker level (220) and a previously stored supplementary biomarker level (220), wherein an indicator of the health state is based on the determined difference, the milking apparatus (100) according to claim 1.

5. wherein the control unit (120) is configured to calculate the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225) based on at least one stored supplementary biomarker level (220), the milking apparatus (100) according to claim 4.

6. when the control unit (120) is triggered by detecting that a difference between the obtained haptoglobin level (210) and the previously stored haptoglobin level (210) exceeds a threshold, obtain the supplementary biomarker level (220), comparing the supplementary biomarker level with the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225); configured to perform: showing the health state of the animal (110) based on the comparison made between the supplementary biomarker level (220) and the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225), and the comparison made between the obtained haptoglobin level (210) and the haptoglobin reference limit (215); the milking device (100) according to any one of claims 4 to 5 when dependent on any one of claims 2 to 3.

7. when triggered by the elapse of the predetermined period from the reference time point (300), the control unit (120) is configured to determine to collect a further milk sample of the animal (110); the milking device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. when triggered by the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeding the haptoglobin reference limit (215), the control unit (120) is configured to determine to collect a third milk sample of the animal (110); select an additional biomarker, which is separate from haptoglobin and the supplementary biomarker; obtain an additional biomarker level of the selected additional biomarker from the third milk sample of the animal (110); compare the obtained additional biomarker level with an additional biomarker reference limit; and the shown health state of the animal (110) is based on the comparison made between the additional biomarker level and the additional biomarker reference limit; the milking device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. the control unit (120) is configured to select any of the supplementary biomarkers of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB), conductivity, or somatic cell count; the milking device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. the control unit (120) is configured to select the additional biomarker from any of BHB, conductivity, or somatic cell count, but different from the supplementary biomarker; the milking device (100) according to claim 8 or 9.

11. the control unit (120) The milking device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein when the predetermined period is between 5 and 10 days and the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit (215), the health state of the animal (110) is configured to be indicated as related to metritis.

12. The milking device (100) according to claim 11, wherein the control unit (120) is configured to indicate the health state of metritis when the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit (215) and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level (220) is lower than the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225).

13. The control unit (120) The milking device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein when the predetermined period is between 11 and 30 days and the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit (215), the health state of the animal (110) is configured to be indicated as related to endometritis.

14. The milking device (100) according to claim 13, wherein the control unit (120) is configured to indicate the health state of endometritis when the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit (215) and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level (220) is lower than the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225).

15. The control unit (120) The milking device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein when the predetermined period is between 40 and 100 days and the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit (215), the health state of the animal (110) is configured to be indicated as related to difficulty in walking.

16. The milking device (100) according to claim 15, wherein the control unit (120) is configured to indicate the health state of difficulty in walking when the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit (215) and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level (220) is lower than the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225).

17. the control unit (120) the milking device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the control unit (120) is configured to indicate that the health state of the animal (110) is related to acute mastitis when the predetermined period is between 0 and 30 days and the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeds a second haptoglobin reference limit (235) that is higher than the haptoglobin reference limit (215). **Claim 18** the milking device (100) according to claim 17, wherein the control unit (120) is configured to indicate the health state of acute mastitis when the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeds the second haptoglobin reference limit (235) and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level (220) exceeds the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225). **Claim 19** the control unit (120) the milking device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the control unit (120) is configured to indicate that the health state of the animal (110) is related to chronic mastitis when the obtained haptoglobin level (210) is higher than a third haptoglobin reference limit (245) that is lower than the haptoglobin reference limit (215) and at the same time is lower than the haptoglobin reference limit (215). **Claim 20** the milking device (100) according to claim 19, wherein the control unit (120) is configured to indicate the health state of chronic mastitis when, over at least 30 consecutive days, the obtained haptoglobin level (210) is higher than the third haptoglobin reference limit (245), at the same time the obtained haptoglobin level (210) is lower than the haptoglobin reference limit (215), and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level (220) is higher than the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225). **Claim 21** a milking device (100) comprising a milking machine (116) for milking an animal (110), the milking device (100) comprising a control unit (120), the control unit being obtaining the identity of the animal (110) related to the milking of the animal (110), obtaining a reference time point (300) of the lactation cycle of the identified animal (110), When a predetermined period has elapsed since the reference time point (300) of the lactation cycle of the identified animal (110), collecting at least one milk sample of the animal (110); Obtaining a haptoglobin level (210) from the milk sample; Comparing the obtained haptoglobin level (210) with a haptoglobin reference limit (215); Based on the comparison performed, being configured to indicate the health status of the animal (110); The control unit (120) is configured to: Repeatedly collect milk samples of the animal (110); In the memory (130) of the milking device (100), store the obtained haptoglobin level (210) of each milk sample in association with a time reference; Determining the difference between the obtained haptoglobin level (210) and the previously stored haptoglobin level (210); The indicator of the health status is based on the determined difference; The control unit (120) is configured to: Determine to collect a further milk sample of the animal (110); Select a supplementary biomarker distinct from haptoglobin; Obtaining a supplementary biomarker level (220) of the selected supplementary biomarker from the further milk sample of the animal (110); Comparing the obtained supplementary biomarker level (220) with a supplementary biomarker reference limit (225); The indicated health status of the animal (110) is based on the performed comparison between the supplementary biomarker level (220) and the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225), and the comparison between the obtained haptoglobin level (210) and the haptoglobin reference limit (215); When the control unit (120) is triggered by detecting that the difference between the obtained haptoglobin level (210) and the previously stored haptoglobin level (210) exceeds a threshold; Obtaining the supplementary biomarker level (220); Comparing the supplementary biomarker level with the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225); configured to perform the comparison between the supplementary biomarker level (220) and the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225), and to indicate the health state of the animal (110) based on the comparison between the obtained haptoglobin level (210) and the haptoglobin reference limit (215), a milking apparatus (100). **Claim 22** wherein the control unit (120) is configured to calculate the haptoglobin reference limit (215) based on values of at least one stored haptoglobin level (210), the milking apparatus (100) according to claim 21. **Claim 23** wherein the control unit (120) is configured to repeatedly collect further milk samples from the animal (110), store in the memory (130) of the milking apparatus (100) the obtained supplementary biomarker levels (220) of the respective further milk samples in association with a time reference, configured to determine a difference between the obtained supplementary biomarker level (220) and a previously stored supplementary biomarker level (220), wherein the indicator of the health state is based on the determined difference, the milking apparatus (100) according to claim 21. **Claim 24** wherein the control unit (120) is configured to calculate the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225) based on at least one stored supplementary biomarker level (220), the milking apparatus (100) according to claim 23. **Claim 25** wherein when the control unit (120) is triggered by the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeding the haptoglobin reference limit (215), configured to obtain the supplementary biomarker level (220), compare the supplementary biomarker level with the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225), configured to perform the comparison between the supplementary biomarker level (220) and the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225), and to indicate the health state of the animal (110) based on the comparison between the obtained haptoglobin level (210) and the haptoglobin reference limit (215), the milking apparatus (100) according to any one of claims 21 to 24. **Claim 26** When triggered by the elapse of the predetermined period from the reference time point (300), the milking device (100) according to any one of claims 21 to 25, which is configured to determine to collect the further milk sample of the animal (110). **Claim 27** when the control unit (120) is triggered by the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeding the haptoglobin reference limit (215), determining to collect a third milk sample of the animal (110); selecting an additional biomarker that is separate from haptoglobin and the supplementary biomarker; obtaining an additional biomarker level of the selected additional biomarker from the third milk sample of the animal (110); configured to compare the obtained additional biomarker level with an additional biomarker reference limit; the indicated health state of the animal (110) is based on the performed comparison between the additional biomarker level and the additional biomarker reference limit, the milking device (100) according to any one of claims 21 to 26. **Claim 28** the control unit (120) is configured to select any one of the supplementary biomarkers of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB), conductivity, or somatic cell count, the milking device (100) according to any one of claims 21 to 27. **Claim 29** the control unit (120) is configured to select the additional biomarker from any one of BHB, conductivity, or somatic cell count, but different from the supplementary biomarker, the milking device (100) according to claim 27 or 28. **Claim 30** the control unit (120) wherein the predetermined period is between 5 and 10 days, and when the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit (215), the health state of the animal (110) is configured to be indicated as related to metritis, the milking device (100) according to any one of claims 21 to 29. **Claim 31** The milking device (100) according to claim 30, wherein the control unit (120) is configured to indicate the health state of metritis when the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit (215) and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level (220) is lower than the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225).

32. The control unit (120) is configured to indicate the health state of the animal (110) as being related to endometritis when the predetermined period is between 11 and 30 days and the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit (215), for the milking device (100) according to any one of claims 21 to 31.

33. The milking device (100) according to claim 32, wherein the control unit (120) is configured to indicate the health state of endometritis when the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit (215) and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level (220) is lower than the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225).

34. The control unit (120) is configured to indicate the health state of the animal (110) as being related to difficulty in walking when the predetermined period is between 40 and 100 days and the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit (215), for the milking device (100) according to any one of claims 21 to 33.

35. The milking device (100) according to claim 34, wherein the control unit (120) is configured to indicate the health state of difficulty in walking when the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeds the haptoglobin reference limit (215) and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level (220) is lower than the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225).

36. The control unit (120) is configured to The milking device (100) according to any one of claims 21 to 35, wherein when the predetermined period is between 0 and 30 days and the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeds a second haptoglobin reference limit (235) that is higher than the haptoglobin reference limit (215), the health state of the animal (110) is configured to be indicated as being related to acute mastitis.

37. The milking device (100) according to claim 36, wherein the control unit (120) is configured to indicate the health state of acute mastitis when the obtained haptoglobin level (210) exceeds the second haptoglobin reference limit (235) and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level (220) exceeds the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225).

38. The control unit (120) The milking device (100) according to any one of claims 21 to 37, wherein when the obtained haptoglobin level (210) is higher than a third haptoglobin reference limit (245) that is lower than the haptoglobin reference limit (215) and at the same time lower than the haptoglobin reference limit (215), the health state of the animal (110) is configured to be indicated as being related to chronic mastitis.

39. The milking device (100) according to claim 38, wherein the control unit (120) is configured to indicate the health state of chronic mastitis when, over at least 30 consecutive days, the obtained haptoglobin level (210) is higher than the third haptoglobin reference limit (245), at the same time the obtained haptoglobin level (210) is lower than the haptoglobin reference limit (215), and at the same time the obtained supplementary biomarker level (220) is higher than the supplementary biomarker reference limit (225).

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