About the time things start looking ok another herd in the GYA tests positive for brucellosis. Man isn't this fun living in such a beautiful area. To bad the local scenery don't pay the bills. I'm sure the feds will come up with a good plan for us who live in "the Hot Spot" :frowns:
Brucellosis in Idaho herd.
- Thread starter jasrnch
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supposedly this herd has been vaccinated but he has just assembled them. I don't know what prompted the state to bleed but I assume that it must have been some abortions.
I'm 3rd gen in this area and we would never think about not vaccinating. I have bought quite a few cattle the last 10 years and everything I bought was tested and has to have a readable tattoo before it comes in my herd. The way the cattle are moved around the country nowadays I think a guy is a fool to not vaccinate. The last time I bought cows I went to Wisconsin and purchased 50 head. Now some of them cattle came out of Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota and one even originated from Wyoming. It's too easy for a heifer in her first year to travel across the country and end up where you would never have have dreamed of, to just ignore bangs vaccinations. I'll climb down off of my soap box now that I've vented.
I'm 3rd gen in this area and we would never think about not vaccinating. I have bought quite a few cattle the last 10 years and everything I bought was tested and has to have a readable tattoo before it comes in my herd. The way the cattle are moved around the country nowadays I think a guy is a fool to not vaccinate. The last time I bought cows I went to Wisconsin and purchased 50 head. Now some of them cattle came out of Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota and one even originated from Wyoming. It's too easy for a heifer in her first year to travel across the country and end up where you would never have have dreamed of, to just ignore bangs vaccinations. I'll climb down off of my soap box now that I've vented.
I believe if your heifers are going for slaughter they don't have to be vaccinated. But if they go through the ring I know that at least in Blackfoot they will vaccinate them all. Just because you never know where they will end up.
jasrnch":2ctmyyzj said:
Your heifers have been vaccinated, and I'm assuming they were vaccinated at the proper time. That does not mean they are immune, but it does mean you've done everything you possibly can to prevent this disease. Don't borrow trouble.
All I'm saying is Those of us on the Wyoming side of the line have to already bleed all breeding age females 30 days prior to transfer of ownership. The producers on the Idaho side don't have to do anything as of yet. Of course if Idaho doesn't have another herd they wont lose their status. The biggest threat to me is that I graze on the Idaho side of the line and it seems like every year it gets a little harder to cross the line. This incident could make some of our requirements change. We already have to bleed every other year. My cows come in the chute now and raise their tail in anticipation 
.
.
Running Arrow Bill
Well-known member
Producers that don't vaccinate (especialy for Brucellosis) are idiots! The States that don't require the vaccinations are also idiots. Brucellosis is a very dangerous disease.
Then, there are all the other conditions, diseases, bacteria, etc., etc., that people don't vaccinate for...just perpetuates the "anti-cattle" attitudes of the tree huggers that our beef is "dangerous"...
Then, there are all the other conditions, diseases, bacteria, etc., etc., that people don't vaccinate for...just perpetuates the "anti-cattle" attitudes of the tree huggers that our beef is "dangerous"...
I don't think that is a narrow minded point of view. especially with Brucellosis. But those that don't vaccinate are only thinking of themselves instead of their neighbors and anyone else they are affecting. There always seem to be a few out there that seem to think they are the only ones affected by their decision to not vaccinate.
Lucky_P
Well-known member
Until this one in the GYA popped up, there had not been a herd diagnosed with brucellosis since 2006. I'm suspecting this one is probably crossover from bison/elk migrating out of the park. If the feds would/could clean up that mess, there'd be no need for anyone to vaccinate.
Those of us in the eastern US - and actually, most of the US - are in states that have been declared 'Brucellosis-Free' for many years, and state/federal regulatory authorities involved in the Brucellosis eradication program have advised against vaccination of heifers for some time, because they were spending an inordinate amount of time chasing down vaccination 'suspects' that had persistent titers - usually due to having been vaccinated over-age or after they reached puberty.
They even dispensed with market cattle testing several years ago here in KY.
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/ ... llosis.pdf
Those of us in the eastern US - and actually, most of the US - are in states that have been declared 'Brucellosis-Free' for many years, and state/federal regulatory authorities involved in the Brucellosis eradication program have advised against vaccination of heifers for some time, because they were spending an inordinate amount of time chasing down vaccination 'suspects' that had persistent titers - usually due to having been vaccinated over-age or after they reached puberty.
They even dispensed with market cattle testing several years ago here in KY.
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/ ... llosis.pdf
You must mean in Idaho. Montana just got there status back. The thing that irritates us is the fact that if we test positive then they want us to depopulate. if the Feds or state herd gets one they can kill the positive. The titer issues aren't an issue when using RB51 verses the old strain 19 vaccine. When I went to Wisconsin to buy the cattle I was originally going to purchase 70 head. But because of all the unvaccinated cattle or cattle without a tattoo I only ended up with 48 head. Also didn't one of the eastern states just start having a elk hunt. It seems like them elk were transplanted a few years ago from Wyoming. Sure hope none of them were positives. sure would suck if one of them was hot.
Lucky_P
Well-known member
jasrnch
The elk reintroduced into the Eastern US were all tested for brucellosis and TB before they left whatever facility they'd been gathered on.
I know the initial importation into LBL here in KY, back in '95, came from Elk Island in Alberta CA, but the ones they turned loose over in the mountains of eastern KY were from somewhere out in the western US - but all were test-negative for brucellosis & skin-test negative for TB.
But, they did bring Echinococcus granulosus(hydatid cyst tapeworm) in with them - a parasite that we didn't have here, at least in western KY, before the elk reintroduction.
The elk reintroduced into the Eastern US were all tested for brucellosis and TB before they left whatever facility they'd been gathered on.
I know the initial importation into LBL here in KY, back in '95, came from Elk Island in Alberta CA, but the ones they turned loose over in the mountains of eastern KY were from somewhere out in the western US - but all were test-negative for brucellosis & skin-test negative for TB.
But, they did bring Echinococcus granulosus(hydatid cyst tapeworm) in with them - a parasite that we didn't have here, at least in western KY, before the elk reintroduction.
kenny thomas
Well-known member
Lucky P, I live just across the mountain from where the elk were turned loose. Is this tapeworm something I should be watching for or will the normal wormers take care of it?
redcowsrule33
Well-known member
msscamp":f3pry843 said:
Wow, that criterion just raised the idiot % on these boards tenfold :lol2:
Running Arrow Bill
Well-known member
redcowsrule33":35p6jbbt said:
Ouch! Aren't we defensive! LOL.
I stand by my recommendations. Our Vet(s) and State Vet Department also recommend vaccinations. It is a small price to pay to ensure one's herd is healthy and disease free. $25 or so a year to vaccinate one's cattle is a heck of lot cheaper than losing an animal (or herd) to preventable diseases....
Lucky_P
Well-known member
I suppose that if I were a seedstock producer, with any thought that heifers/cows I was producing might end up, at some point, in a part of the country where brucellosis exposure was a possibility, I might consider going back to vaccinating heifers; I used to do it, back in the '80s, when I was raising dairy replacements, and building my original beef herd.
But, I'm a commercial producer in a brucellosis-free state, surrounded by brucellosis-free states, and most, if not all, heifers/cows I sell should be going to slaughter, not into a breeding herd. I have no worries about brucellosis popping up in my herd. I'm more likely to win the big jackpot in the lottery.
I'll spend my animal health $$ and efforts on keeping BVD-PI animals out of the herd and properly immunizing the calves I produce before they go on to the next person in the production chain, so that they(the calves and the stocker/feeder) have less problems with BRD.
Kenny,
I don't know if the elk released in eastern KY were infected with Echinococcus - I've not seen any reports from my colleagues at the UK-LDDC about diagnosing hydatid cysts in any they've posted through the years - or in cattle in that part of the state. But, the TN Fish & Wildlife guys were unconcerned when we diagnosed the first case in LBL elk, just before TN bought some to reintroduce into the Smokies - 'cause they already had that parasite established in the dog/coyote/cattle populations over there, thanks to some dairy cattle imported from Canada back in the late '70s.
There's been some work done in Aus/NZ on developing a vaccine for use in sheep, but nothing here in the US, that I'm aware of. Main emphasis for control is aimed at routine deworming of potentially infected dogs(but what do you do about the coyotes?) and preventing consumption of offal and deadstock by dogs/coyotes.
At any rate, Its unlikely to have a major impact on cattle production in your area - you might get condemnation of 'specialty meats', like liver, if the inspector finds the hydatid cysts, but my bigger concern is for humans who may be exposed - and can become infected - if their dog has the adult tapeworm and they fail to practice good hygiene and accidentally ingest the tapeworm eggs.
http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/DPDx/html/Echinococcosis.htm
But, I'm a commercial producer in a brucellosis-free state, surrounded by brucellosis-free states, and most, if not all, heifers/cows I sell should be going to slaughter, not into a breeding herd. I have no worries about brucellosis popping up in my herd. I'm more likely to win the big jackpot in the lottery.
I'll spend my animal health $$ and efforts on keeping BVD-PI animals out of the herd and properly immunizing the calves I produce before they go on to the next person in the production chain, so that they(the calves and the stocker/feeder) have less problems with BRD.
Kenny,
I don't know if the elk released in eastern KY were infected with Echinococcus - I've not seen any reports from my colleagues at the UK-LDDC about diagnosing hydatid cysts in any they've posted through the years - or in cattle in that part of the state. But, the TN Fish & Wildlife guys were unconcerned when we diagnosed the first case in LBL elk, just before TN bought some to reintroduce into the Smokies - 'cause they already had that parasite established in the dog/coyote/cattle populations over there, thanks to some dairy cattle imported from Canada back in the late '70s.
There's been some work done in Aus/NZ on developing a vaccine for use in sheep, but nothing here in the US, that I'm aware of. Main emphasis for control is aimed at routine deworming of potentially infected dogs(but what do you do about the coyotes?) and preventing consumption of offal and deadstock by dogs/coyotes.
At any rate, Its unlikely to have a major impact on cattle production in your area - you might get condemnation of 'specialty meats', like liver, if the inspector finds the hydatid cysts, but my bigger concern is for humans who may be exposed - and can become infected - if their dog has the adult tapeworm and they fail to practice good hygiene and accidentally ingest the tapeworm eggs.
http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/DPDx/html/Echinococcosis.htm
Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming were all Free states for a long time before we started having our problems. I'm a commercial producer also, But when I want to expand I would never go to a seedstock producer to get cows. I would go to another commercial producer. Where that producer built that herd from may not be known. I understand thinking that my calves are probably going to slaughter. But as I have learned some of them may not. When I was assembling my herd I almost went farther east than Wisconsin. Because the price difference of cattle at that time made it worth it. Now I'm glad I didn't. If your not vaccinating, I couldn't have brought any of them into Wyoming no matter how good they were. Since having the brucellosis problems has made me sit back and look at all of my procedures. The best way to prevent a problem is through preventative maintenance, not ignoring the problem that doesn't exist yet. I agree with Bill in everything.
To think that all of your heifers would go to slaughter, is a naive thought. There have been more than one feeder that has turned around and sold heifers. These heifer have later ended up in cow herds as unvaccinates. This is the reason that some of our salebarns have started vaccinating all heifers being sold.
To think that all of your heifers would go to slaughter, is a naive thought. There have been more than one feeder that has turned around and sold heifers. These heifer have later ended up in cow herds as unvaccinates. This is the reason that some of our salebarns have started vaccinating all heifers being sold.
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