Milk & Meat Withdrawal Period Calculator
know exactly when the withdrawal period ends.
Enter when the animal was last treated and the withdrawal periods from the product label. See the exact date and time milk can go back in the tank, the earliest date the animal can be sent for slaughter, and a live countdown.
Withdrawal Clock
Copy the withdrawal periods from the product label.
Withdrawal ends
What a Withdrawal Period Means
The time between the last treatment and when milk or meat from the animal can be used.
Medicines leave residues in milk and meat. The withdrawal period on the label is how long those residues take to fall below the legal limit when the product is used exactly as directed. Milk from treated animals must be discarded until the milk withdrawal has ended, and the animal must not be sent for slaughter until the meat withdrawal has ended.
The clock counts from the last treatment, not the first. If a course is repeated or extended, restart the clock from the final dose.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the animal's ID and the product name if you like. Both are optional, but they appear on the result, the printout and the calendar reminder.
- Enter the date and time of the last treatment. The form starts at the current date and time, so change it if you treated earlier.
- Copy the milk withdrawal from the label and choose hours or days, then copy the meat withdrawal in days.
- Press Add reminder (.ics) to save the end times to your phone or computer calendar, and print the result for your medicine records.
If the label says the product is not for animals producing milk for human consumption, do not enter zero for milk. Ask your vet before using it in a milking animal.
Reading the result
The first box is the earliest date and time this animal's milk can go back into the bulk tank; the second is the earliest date it can be sent for slaughter. Both count the full period in real hours from the last treatment, so a clock change does not shorten them. The countdown under each one updates while the page is open, until it shows "Withdrawal finished". Until then, mark the animal clearly and milk it last or into a separate bucket, so its milk cannot reach the tank by mistake.
Common questions
What if I used a higher dose or a different route?
Then the label withdrawal period no longer applies. Your veterinarian must set a longer, extra-label withdrawal period. Enter that period instead.
Milk withdrawal is in milkings on my label. What do I enter?
Convert milkings to hours. With two milkings a day, 6 milkings is 72 hours. With three milkings a day, ask your vet, because the hours may differ.
Should I test milk before it goes back in the tank?
Yes, when you can. A residue test on the cow's milk is a good final check, especially after intramammary treatment or extra-label use.
One quarter was treated. Can I keep the milk from the other three?
Not unless the label or your vet says so. Treat all of the cow's milk as withheld until the milk withdrawal has ended.
Can I feed withheld milk to calves?
Ask your vet first. Milk from treated cows can carry drug residues that encourage antibiotic-resistant bacteria in calves, and the rules on feeding it differ between countries.
Does the page save my withdrawal clock?
No. Nothing you enter is stored, so add the calendar reminder or print the result before you close the page.
Decision support only. Not a substitute for your veterinarian.