Anaplasmosis prevention

[BRYANT]

I had a out break of Anaplasmosis a few years ago and after that year I have kept medicated meal or anaplaz blocks out and never had another problem. Now it seams the idiots in Washington have passed a law that you will not be able to buy it after the first of the year with out a special form from a vet. Vet will have to go out and inspect your cows and place,then know where you will be buying it from and fill out a bunch of paper work before you can buy it, will have to do this every 6 months. will pertain to any kind of medicated feed, no more medicated chick starter, etc. just another way to cost the farmer. they say shots like la 200 will be next on the list.

so what will you all do to prevent stuff like Anaplaz? Vet said they have a shot but recommended the shot and meal or blocks not just the shot ???

 

[NolanCountyAG]

My vet said if I want medicated feed/mineral he'd just write me a script. He sees at least some of my cows almost every other month so he said it wouldn't be a problem for him.

 

[talltimber]

As I understand, ctc will/is approved for prevention of anaplasmosis. A vfd, from a vet familiar with your herd, is required to write one for you. "Shouldn't" be much to it unless you don't have a relationship with a vet yet. If not, I would be working on developing one.
I have heard of some stockpiling ctc. I cannot confirm nor deny those rumors however.

 

[TCRanch]

Google Veterinary Feed Directive - information overload. And there have also been many threads on CT.

Talltimber, you cannot legally stockpile anything that falls under the VFD.

 

[Lucky_P]

Actually, you can stockpile it - IF the feed mill will still sell it to you - but after Jan 1 2017, you can't legally feed it without a valid VFD.
If you have a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship with your veterinarian, and they know that you've had anaplasmosis diagnosed in your herd (or in adjacent herds, or if it's endemic in your area) they can write a VFD for you. Should be no big deal.

Personally, if I had anaplasmosis in my herd - or if the neighbor's herd had it - I'd be vaccinating, and that would be the extent of my prevention tactics. There's no way I could or would feed the level of CTC required to effectively control it for the entire vector season - which, here, is essentially April-November. Cows need to be out grazing during that time frame, not standing around waiting for their place at the feed bunk.

The vaccine is very effective at preventing clinical disease, but does not prevent infection. Vaccinated animals will be seropositive on blood test, regardless of whether they're infected or not.

 

[pdfangus]

I have experience anaplasmosis several times....first time was in the late seventies and first symptom was three dead cows one morning...then a number of abortions and sick cows....treated 200 cows

over the last 20 years I used a mineral with ctc in it and it worked great for both anaplasmosis and pinkeye.

getting a vet script would not be difficult but I am not currently using that mineral

today I would consider vaccination.....

I expect most of my few cows would show a titer if tested anyway.

I stopped sending bulls to the bull test because the last year I consigned, every bull I consigned came back with a positive test. They were all healthy and vigorous. Test station could not take them.....I kept em and raised em at home and sold them from home a year later. made out as good as testing them....I primarily tested to gauge where my herd was with other good herds in the state and to get our small herd known.

 

[BRYANT]

Personally, if I had anaplasmosis in my herd - or if the neighbor's herd had it - I'd be vaccinating, and that would be the extent of my prevention tactics. There's no way I could or would feed the level of CTC required to effectively control it for the entire vector season - which, here, is essentially April-November. Cows need to be out grazing during that time frame, not standing around waiting for their place at the feed bunk. .

The vet I ask said the shots is 2 shots the first year then 1 every year after BUT he also acted like to be for sure its best to keep the meal out also

My thinking why spend money on the shots if I still need to keep the meal out and I have had no problems when I keep out the meal.

As for them standing around waiting for the meal that is not a problem. I keep it out year around, medicated from May to mid Nov., Non medicated the rest of the time. When grass is green and high in protein they eat very little of the meal some times I wonder if they are eating enough for it to even do any good. When I think they are not eating enough of the meal I will sometimes put out some of the anaplaz blocks also. Several people around me lost cows this year and I lost non.
Also just across the fence my cattle are exposed to every sickness that a cow can have. two of my places are next door to ''cattle traders'' and one will buy every sick cull that come through the auction he runs several hundred head through a year. I have very little sickness in my cattle.

 

[Lucky_P]

Bryant,
I'm presuming the 'meal' you're speaking is a CTC-medicated mineral mix that you're keeping out for the cows to consume, free-choice?

CTC-medicated mineral may be the best some folks are gonna be able to do, in the way of providing vector-season protection - but it's not always adequate, and folks may - and do - have catastrophic failures. The level of CTC which has been allowed for inclusion in medicated mineral mixes is sufficient to protect a 750-lb animal against clinical anaplasmosis - provided that they eat their theoretical 4 oz. of mineral EVERY DAY. It's not sufficient to reliably protect a 1000, 1200, 1800 lb cow - and if they're not eating mineral every day, they're not maintaining a constant protective blood concentration of the drug.

I'm just not going to drag a bunch of feed bunks from paddock to paddock - we move almost daily, during the grazing season - and feed enough feed containing CTC to provide the 0.5mg CTC/lb of body weight for each animal that is required for effective control. Vaccination would be the ticket for me. YMMV.

 

[BRYANT]

Lucky_P is the Vaccination 2 shots the first year with a booster every year and at what age do you start them and what time of the year

 

[Lucky_P]

Yes, two doses initially, then a yearly booster.
I'd have to consult the manufacturer's label, with regard to age, but I'd hazard a guess that anything a year of age or older should be considered for vaccination. Younger than a year are unlikely to become clinical - though they can be infected.

Timing - probably not all that critical, though I'd anticipate that a vaccination program that boosted immune response to its highest point going into the vector season (spring/summer) would likely be most effective at protecting against clinical disease.

 

[angus9259]

Personally, if I had anaplasmosis in my herd - or if the neighbor's herd had it - I'd be vaccinating, and that would be the extent of my prevention tactics.
The vaccine is very effective at preventing clinical disease, but does not prevent infection. Vaccinated animals will be seropositive on blood test, regardless of whether they're infected or not.

Plus, "resistance" to CTC is real. :hide:

I had a couple cases of Pinkeye this year and CTC wouldn't touch it. Vet said it's the "new resistant pinkeye" - required Draxxin - that was an ugly bill. The more we all can do to prevent CTC resistance from continuing the better we will all be as a group in the long run.

 

[pdfangus]

Actually, you can stockpile it - IF the feed mill will still sell it to you - but after Jan 1 2017, you can't legally feed it without a valid VFD.
If you have a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship with your veterinarian, and they know that you've had anaplasmosis diagnosed in your herd (or in adjacent herds, or if it's endemic in your area) they can write a VFD for you. Should be no big deal.

Personally, if I had anaplasmosis in my herd - or if the neighbor's herd had it - I'd be vaccinating, and that would be the extent of my prevention tactics. There's no way I could or would feed the level of CTC required to effectively control it for the entire vector season - which, here, is essentially April-November. Cows need to be out grazing during that time frame, not standing around waiting for their place at the feed bunk.

The vaccine is very effective at preventing clinical disease, but does not prevent infection. Vaccinated animals will be seropositive on blood test, regardless of whether they're infected or not.

that last part is the rub if you are trying to move registered cattle to a sale or test....

 

[jerry27150]

cross some brammer into them

 

[Lucky_P]

True, pdfangus.
Seedstock producers consigning to some sales must have a negative serologic test result.

Infected animals can be fed a much higher level of CTC for at least 60 days, which will result in 'clearance' of the infection for most of those animals... and titers will drop to zero in 3-6 months.
However, that's a double-edged sword, if you will.... not all animals will 'clear' and could continue to serve as a source of infection within the herd, and those that do 'clear' are susceptible to reinfection - even with the same strain they had previously - and are now at risk of developing clinical disease and potentially dying.

I'm not certain that I could ever recommend 'feeding for clearance' to a commercial producer, and it may not be suitable for most seedstock producers - except for those animals that are required to have a negative serologic test for a sale.

 

[BRYANT]

cross some brammer into them

What will that help

 

[Lucky_P]

There are studies suggesting that Bos indicus (Brahman/Zebu) cattle are more resistant to tick infestation and to infection with A.marginale - &/or develop lower levels of parasitemia than Bos taurus breeds - but not all studies have supported this claim, and I've seen nothing in print indicating a specific level of Brahman breeding necessary to provide this alleged benefit.

But... in some areas of the country, some Brahman influence is definitely a GOOD thing.

 

[BRYANT]

Any one who has read very many of my post know that all my cattle are Brahman cross and some full bloods, other than Angus bull, I will say that flies don't bother them as bad but they still have flies and ticks. As for Anaplaz they will get it like any other cow that one year I lost a very nice Beefmaster cow and a red Brangus also had a tigerstripe that I got over it but she aborted her calf. I want all my cattle to have some Brahman in them BUT that's not the cure all they can and will get sick like any other cow.

Thanks Lucky_P and everyone else for your advice I think I may look into the shots. Aaplaz is some bad stuff , the worse thing I have ever had to deal with in my cattle.

 

[pdfangus]

True, pdfangus.
Seedstock producers consigning to some sales must have a negative serologic test result.

Infected animals can be fed a much higher level of CTC for at least 60 days, which will result in 'clearance' of the infection for most of those animals... and titers will drop to zero in 3-6 months.
However, that's a double-edged sword, if you will.... not all animals will 'clear' and could continue to serve as a source of infection within the herd, and those that do 'clear' are susceptible to reinfection - even with the same strain they had previously - and are now at risk of developing clinical disease and potentially dying.

I'm not certain that I could ever recommend 'feeding for clearance' to a commercial producer, and it may not be suitable for most seedstock producers - except for those animals that are required to have a negative serologic test for a sale.

when i discovered that we had it again, I decided to just deal with it....

that was when we made the decision to quit going to the state test....I had pretty much achieved what I wanted and the amount of genetic testing and added expense they were wanting was getting cost prohibitive....then shortly after that Jack died and I sold everything but two old lame cows....back up to five females now but two of them are not even registered,

 

[angus9259]

Thanks Lucky_P and everyone else for your advice I think I may look into the shots. Aaplaz is some bad stuff , the worse thing I have ever had to deal with in my cattle.

Well, if nothing else, this thread has reminded of the value of keeping a closed herd - especially since there are no other cattle in my area so.