With the consistent application of dry cow therapy (DCT) in conjunction with other mastitis control measures the prevalence of contagious mastitis pathogens has declined to a low level in many herds. As a result, and in order to reduce the use of antibiotics, selective DCT has been proposed. However, the dilemma is how to protect quarters, which may remain open for up to 60-d postdrying off, that are not treated with DCT. Orbeseal TM ( Pfizer Animal Health, Surrey, UK) has been formulated for use in cows with low-cell counts as an alternative to antibiotic DCT. Studies in New Zealand and the UK have shown that the use of Orbeseal results in significantly fewer intramammary infections (IMI) at calving and less clinical mastitis during the dry period. For practical purposes selection criteria may be based on the mastitis and cell count history of individual cows or recognized tests for the detection of subclinical mastitis. Orbeseal can provide a viable alternative to DCT for those seeking to reduce the prophylactic use of antibiotics and for the organic diary industry.