When dairy cattle are identified as future cull animals, the duration of time until they leave the herd, of time until they leave the herd, and expenses associated with treating disease before they are finally culled is variable. The main objective of this study was to evaluate how long dairy cows identified as future culls were kept in the herd, and the cost of treating them for disease before they actually left the herd. A secondary objective was to calculate treatment costs associated with all diseases of lactating dairy cattle. Data on all cows culled, and all treatments administered to all cows were kept during the course of the study. Ten representative New York State dairy farms were selected to take part in the project.