Help I'm ignorant

[jallen]

Regarding vaccines. I'm getting a squeeze chute next week and am going to start vaccinating my cattle. Til now I've just been worming. Problem is I don't know what to vaccinate with and my bet is out of town. I've researched til I'm about to puke. I want something that lepto, brucellosis, basically anything that can cause a cow to abort. I'm open to other vaccines that would be beneficial as well. I'm currently hitting my calves with alpha 7 for blackleg, I'm assuming this would be good for the cows as well? Any input is appreciated--I'm also wanting to start keeping meds on hand for dealing with realities issues, pneumonia, etc in my calves. Basically is you have it on hand tell me about it, I'd live to get educated from you guys than reading articles that are talking over my head. Thanks in advance for any help I can get

 

[Quigly]

Unless your vet is on a 2 year mission to Mars or something like that, I would wait until he gets home and develop a plan with him. We don't know what part of the country you are in, if you have beef or dairy cattle(though I know its probably beef), what health issues you have had in the past, etc. If you have spring calving cows, the only vaccine you would probably need be thinking about right now is scour shots for the cows, which it is probably too late for now, and shots for the calves at birth. Alpha 7 is the only vaccine I would consider using in most beef herds on newborns and often even it isn't really necessary. This is a poor time to start a vaccine protocol on cows if they are about to start calving, especially with abortion shots. Wait til the calves are on the ground and do pre-breeding shots in the spring, when your vet is back and you can make a plan with him.

 

[Tim/South]

We keep Nuflor and LA200 on hand. We keep something from the Vet for respiratory inflammation. (FluMeglumine)
We usually do not begin vaccinations until the calves are 3 months old. Blackleg and Respiratory (usually Triangle 10). We are looking for a respiratory with a pasturella vaccine. Some of the order buyers are wanting the pasturella shots.
It is good to have some betadine to clean cuts and some sprays to help a wound heal.

 

[Nesikep]

my cows start calving Mar 10th, I did the scour vaccine a week ago.

 

[inyati13]

Preface: We all are ignorant. Holding it to be a virtue is what is shameful.

Consult your vet. A vaccination plan requires thought and knowledge. If you do not want to read and study before you make your plan, then it is essential to consult with your vet.

Fundamentally, cover these bases:

1. A Blackleg vaccine in one of the 6 to 10 way forms to cover the Clostridial threats
Examples: UltraChoice 8 by Pfizer (Zoetis) What I use
Clavary 9 (also includes tetani) by Schering Plough
Covexin 8 (also includes tetani) by Merck

2. Fetal Protection: this is the one that protects your cows for reproduction and reduces risk of abortion.
Examples: Bovi Shield Gold FP 5 VL5 (this is a MLV vaccine so you need to use caution on pregnant cows) by Zoetis
CattleMaster Gold FP 5 L5 by Zoetis
Vira Shield 6 + VL5 Somnus by Novartis

There are other organisms that are problems in some areas, seek the counsel of your vet:
Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica Shipping fever - Respiratory
Haemophilus somnus Respiratory
Coronavirus and Rotavirus that cause scours
Moraxella bovis Pinkeye - May not be effective for your local strains.

Disclaimer: This is a rudimentary list. It is not a vaccination plan and it is abbreviated for the purpose of providing you a response. Seek the counsel of your vet for a more specific plan for your circumstances.

 

[Big Cheese]

We use Triangle 10 and UltraBac 7 I believe is what its called on all of our cattle once a year. The Triangle 10 is for BVD and Lepto and the UltraBac is for BlackLeg. We also keep LA 200 and Penicillin on hand. We don't use the Penicillin for much mainly if we have a case of Mastitis. The LA 200 takes care of most viruses and infections that pop up. We use it for pneumonia and it knocks it right out...very rarely we have to re-treat but we have before. Our vet gives us Nuflor when we have severe cases of pneumonia it is a little stronger then LA 200. We use Ivermectin pour on wormer for our cows as well. Also, we keep Scour Pills and Spectam for when a calf gets the scours. The scours pill worked the best but we also supplement the Spectam with it. The Spectam used to get it on its own but it expired in 2002 so i believe its finally losing its strength this year because the couple of cases that we have had its hasn't knocked it out by itself like it used too. Spectam is a type of antibiotic as well so it helps fight diseases while the calf is battling the scours. So I'll list them all for you again so you can tell:

Triangle 10-BVD and Lepto
UltraBac 7-BlackLeg
LA 200-Pneumonia and other infections/viruses
Nuflor-Stronger then LA 200 but gets the same things
Penicillin-Mastitis and infections
Ivermectin Pour on Wormer
Scour Pill and Spectam-Scours in calves

This is what we use for our area so it could be different in yours.

 

[suzorse]

Brucellosis is given to Heifers between 4 months and 1 year old , if your cows have orange/red metal
tags (silver if orange /red has rubbed off) in the right ear, with a tattoo R shield and #, they are vaccinated for it , it is not a yearly vaccine ,
Suzanne
all the other shots depend on your area , talk with your vet when they get back
on bred cows ,Killed only , open cows can have MLV

 

[BobbyLummus]

I'm learning too , curious as to why "killed only " for bred cows . Can someone explain the diff in killed vaccines and others?

 

[inyati13]

I'm learning too , curious as to why "killed only " for bred cows . Can someone explain the diff in killed vaccines and others?

Modified Live Virus can cause a pregnant cow/heifer to abort if she has not been previously exposed to a MLV.

 

[jallen]

Was able to talk briefly with the vet. I have to speak further with him to be sure I've got it right but looks like virashield and alpha 7 for both the cows and calves. I have year round calving so killed vaccines are really my only good option. Thanks for the replies. My only other question is if te calves need anything at birth. I've never done anything that early with them but I have read numerous folks on here talking about what they give their calves as newborns. It's just about overwhelming trying to wrap your head around some of this

 

[branguscowgirl]

I vaccinate my calves at birth, but I don't think everyone does.
I give oral Rota Corona to prevent scours. Intranasal IBR, BVD, P13. And Selenium. Sometimes vit A&D also.

 

[Quigly]

Get an ear tag in your calf at birth, iodine for the naval, and make sure it gets colostrum. In my opinion that is all most herds need. I am a big proponent of managing calf mineral needs through the cow herd. If the cow is eating the proper minerals you usually shouldn't need to get extra into the calf with a needle. Alpha 7 is the only vaccine that is feasible in most beef operations at calving, but once again, if you vaccinate your cows with a 7 way and scour shots, it probably isnt needed in a newborn. Calf guard and other oral scour preventatives for calves is great in theory, but how many calves are you really going to be able to get that into at least 30 mins prior to it nursing. You would have to be present when every calf hits the ground.

 

[branguscowgirl]

Quigly the reason that I do what I do is that 99% of the time I am present at birth. Most of my calves go to the fair within 4 weeks after birth as a cow/calf pair. So I want them to have as much protection as possible.
If I were a bigger producer, I might do things differently.

 

[Quigly]

It's great that you can make it happen, it's a good product when used right and I'm glad you can make it happen. Most people I run into can't do it, large producer are too busy that time of year getting everything done and small producers are at work part of the day. If you have a 60 day calving window, it is a big commitment to be around night and day when everything hits the ground, probably happens more commonly with heifers but most cows don't get watched that closely.

 

[Farmgirl]

We give enforce 3 at birth. It is an intranasal vaccine. Just shoot it in their nose. Had a calf get pneumonia right after birth. Enforce 3 is very fast acting and several reports show it helps the calf develop long-term immunity when the other vaccines are given later.

my :2cents:

Farmgirl

 

[rjgollogly]

What is the concern to start vaccinating? Are you running into issues? Too often some are convinced to spend money on fixing issues the wrong way instead of solving them at the front end. How is your nutrition program? Are the cattle getting what they need? I don't vaccinate for anything and have been fortunate to not have any problems. But, that being said I have an impeccable nutrition program developed to keep those cattle at their peak at all times. I'm not saying don't vaccinate, but I am saying make sure you are confident with what is going in your cattle before you start filling them up with something they might not need.

 

[branguscowgirl]

Yes, the Inforce 3 is the intranasal IBR BVD that I use also.

 

[jallen]

I met with my vet today and got some clarification on the vaccination plan he is getting me on. I was unclear on much of it at first--

Virashield 6 for the cows, along with vision 7 with spur for blackleg. He recommended dectomax and a pour on wormer to both be used at the same time.

For the calves he recommended bar gaurd to be given orally at or near birth, then vision 7 at 2-3 months for blackleg. Follow up again with the vision 7 a weaning. Also recommended the same worming protocol for the calves as he did the cows.

Hopefully this plan will fit my needs--thanks for the replies that I got. They all helped a lot

 

[BigYoung]

Marked for later :cboy:

 

[boondocks]

I met with my vet today and got some clarification on the vaccination plan he is getting me on. I was unclear on much of it at first--

Virashield 6 for the cows, along with vision 7 with spur for blackleg. He recommended dectomax and a pour on wormer to both be used at the same time.

For the calves he recommended bar gaurd to be given orally at or near birth, then vision 7 at 2-3 months for blackleg. Follow up again with the vision 7 a weaning. Also recommended the same worming protocol for the calves as he did the cows.

Hopefully this plan will fit my needs--thanks for the replies that I got. They all helped a lot

Jallen, I didn't hear anyone mention rabies vaccine so I'll throw that out there. I assume your vet considered it and doesn't think you need it in your area. But for others who are reading up on vaccination programs and as per several recent threads, many of us do live in areas where rabies is endemic. I vaccinate for it, at our vet's strong recommendation.