Drugs on board..

[skyhightree1]

What drugs for cattle do you keep on hand ? I want to start keeping meds on hand instead of always calling the vet. I rarely post in here because I know nothing about cattle health other than what some of the older guys tell me I should have on hand and what to use for what ailment. But I want to know what do some of you keep on hand all the time.

 

[Aaron]

Pen G, Pen LA, Oxy LA 300, Banamine, Nuflor, Trimidox (Sulfur drug), Mastitis infusions. Really don't need the Nuflor on hand, I never seem to need it - pneumonia is very few and far between. Same with the Penicillans. I use a lot of Oxy LA 300 and Banamine. Lutalyse is a handy thing to have a small bottle around too. Oh, and epinephrine is a definite in-stock item - you either have it on hand or you have a dead animal. Lidocaine as well.

 

[skyhightree1]

Thanks. I will start stocking up on this stuff.

 

[dun]

Thanks. I will start stocking up on this stuff.

Might be better to see what you have had to use lately before peeing money against the wall buying stuff you may never need. We've had more stuff go out of date then we have used a bottle of.

 

[skyhightree1]

Thanks. I will start stocking up on this stuff.

Might be better to see what you have had to use lately before peeing money against the wall buying stuff you may never need. We've had more stuff go out of date then we have used a bottle of.

dun...you make sense cant you be wrong sometimes :lol2: la200 and penicillin is all I keep on board and what I have used lately

 

[kenny thomas]

I keep LA300 and just buy the rest as I need it.
Im like Dun, I sometimes throw away more than I use. I tell small producers not to buy a big bottle, just come by and get what they need or if just 1 shot get it fron the vet.

 

[Alan]

Thanks. I will start stocking up on this stuff.

Might be better to see what you have had to use lately before peeing money against the wall buying stuff you may never need. We've had more stuff go out of date then we have used a bottle of.

I'm with Dun, the only drugs I keep on hand is Bo-Se and Vit AD for new calves. The drug I use the most other than those is LA 200, but it has always gone outdated before I have to use it in another time period. As Dun said, it's pissing on the wall. The Bo-Se and AD I get as long dated as I can because it's the only one I know I'm using again and again. I well get other drugs as needed ... It's cheaper in the long run.

 

[skyhightree1]

oh ok makes sense I just felt kind of embarrassed I don't have this stuff on hand but I am not a big producer either. My friend that's going out of business had over 200 head most of the time and he has a big suitcase full of meds. I was feeling like I was doing something wrong by not keeping it all on hand and by always calling the vet.

 

[Aaron]

Reason I keep it on hand is that if the vet comes out, I know it's going to be at least $100 by the time drugs and time are considered. Nuflor can be used for footrot and pinkeye, so I will definitely use it up before it expires. For drugs that are very specific to application (like sulfur drugs - Coccidiosis) I always buy the smallest bottle possible. Never buy anything larger than 250 mLs, even with heavy use drugs. The total value of drugs I have right now is between $350-400.

 

[Nesikep]

I have LA200 and Trivetrin (Pen/Sulfa) on hand, both expired, but they still work effectively... I think a lot of these expiry dates are deliberately short just to keep you buying them, and for the .0001% chance they could be bad in that time period.. everything I have gets kept in the fridge at all times anyhow.

What else do I have, Vit AD, Vit E/Selenium, Dexamethasone, Ocytocin, scour oblets... I think that about does it.

The vet is an hour and a half each way from me, and I very rarely need drugs... Illnesses always seem to happen on friday night, of a long weekend if possible!.. That's why I keep the outdated stuff.. better to have it and be iffy if it works than to be able to do nothing, or pay doubletime for him to come out!

If the Lute wasn't so expensive I'd keep a little of that on hand as well

 

[boondocks]

Pen G, Pen LA, Oxy LA 300, Banamine, Nuflor, Trimidox (Sulfur drug), Mastitis infusions. Really don't need the Nuflor on hand, I never seem to need it - pneumonia is very few and far between. Same with the Penicillans. I use a lot of Oxy LA 300 and Banamine. Lutalyse is a handy thing to have a small bottle around too. Oh, and epinephrine is a definite in-stock item - you either have it on hand or you have a dead animal. Lidocaine as well.

Ok, Aaron, dumb newbie question here: what sort of things would you most need Epi for in your area? I guess (in general) I would think cows might need Epi for things like snakebite, anaphylaxis (reactions to drugs or plants, eg?)...Not sure what else?

We keep a (human) Epi pen handy as spouse and family have weird allergic reactions to plants...

 

[Lucky_P]

boondocks,
I'm a vet - though not currently practicing other than on my own animals. Didn't have epi in my limited armamentarium - and lost a really nice heifer calf to anaphylaxis following administration of blackleg vaccine several years back; I keep some on hand now, and have it in the cooler when we're working calved. Additionally, all cattle that are vaccinated are held in the barnlot or hay-feeding lot for a reasonable period of time (at least 20-30 minutes) after vaccination, rather than just let out of the chute to pasture; if they disappeared over the hill, I wouldn't know they were in trouble or dead until the buzzards were circling, or the dam was bawling over the dead calf.

About all I keep on hand, with regard to antibiotics, is some long-acting tetracycline and long-acting sulfa boluses - mainly for footrot cases. If I have need of something better, for the rare pneumonia case, I just go get it from one of my veterinary colleagues.
Since the bulk of our herd is bred AI at least one time before going to the bull, we do keep some GnRH and Estrumate on hand, but rarely buy more than we anticipate that we'll need for a given group.

 

[Aaron]

Pen G, Pen LA, Oxy LA 300, Banamine, Nuflor, Trimidox (Sulfur drug), Mastitis infusions. Really don't need the Nuflor on hand, I never seem to need it - pneumonia is very few and far between. Same with the Penicillans. I use a lot of Oxy LA 300 and Banamine. Lutalyse is a handy thing to have a small bottle around too. Oh, and epinephrine is a definite in-stock item - you either have it on hand or you have a dead animal. Lidocaine as well.

Ok, Aaron, dumb newbie question here: what sort of things would you most need Epi for in your area? I guess (in general) I would think cows might need Epi for things like snakebite, anaphylaxis (reactions to drugs or plants, eg?)...Not sure what else?

We keep a (human) Epi pen handy as spouse and family have weird allergic reactions to plants...

It's for anaphylaxis. Lost a steer calf, a poorer-looking twin, 6 years ago, to it. By the time I got to neighbors and grabbed his epi-pen, calf was dead.

 

[Chuckie]

I keep Lutalyse, Sulfa boluses, LA 300, and Excenel with a great expiration date.

 

[Alan]

Upon further tought I do keep some others on hand, a bag of dex and a bag of sodium chloride. A bag of colostrum. Lute and GnRH (only because I usually use them every year and they are left overs). So I guess you can add those to the Bo-Se and Vit AD.

I also have the lead injection that injects between the eyes if needed.

 

[TexasBred]

I think I have a bottle of Lutalyse, Micotil and epinephrine on hand.

 

[milkmaid]

It's really dependent on how many head you have, and what you commonly have problems with. What a 40,000 hd feedlot needs is different from what a 5000 hd dairy needs is different from what a 30 hd cow-calf guy needs. Good management eliminates the need for a lot of meds. Beyond that, a good broad-spectrum antibiotic or two and epinephrine are important to have on hand for emergency use. Electrolytes and fluids for calving season. Anything else can pretty well be picked on an as-needed basis, eg spring/fall work.

 

[dun]

I've got a 40 year old jar of scour boluses. Lots of syringes and needles just nothing to squirt with them. Also have a full box less 4 of calfgaurd

 

[skyhightree1]

I really dont have many issues or use that much meds but thought may be wise to keep meds on hand.

 

[Koffi Babone]

Just remember that most drugs have an expiry date.

If you buy lots and don't need to use them (which would be the ideal situation), you may end up throwing away the drugs...