LEPTO

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Jeanne - Simme Valley

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Anyone have any experience with cattle getting Lepto. We vaccinate 2X year and never had a case that we knew.
I recently sold a 7 month old heifer - not vaccinated for Lepto (all other MLV but not Lepto). She has been diagnosed with Lepto. Was having frequent "spurting" urinations, so they tested her urine.
Question is - once an animal HAS Lepto, is it completely curable???
 
I know an Angus show producer who had lepto introduced into his herd via deer. I understand it to be nessessary to test cattle and use antibiotics along with semi-annual vacs ASAP. I believe then ,if your herd is closed, they are said to be free of Lepto. However all new cattle to the herd and all calves that reach 6 months should be given the vacc, booster and then again semi-annual. If you have an unknown source or a reaccuring source, such as deer, I would think continuing to do semi-annual vaccs would be my choice of prevention. Does the buyer believe the heifer had lepto at the time of purchase? She could have gotten it at the buyers farm.
This same producer also had five horses diagnosed with moon blindness (cronic eye infection that with or without treatment makes horses go blind) which is a product of lepto infected horses.
I am very sorry. You seem to be a good stuard and vaccinating 2X a year should have covered your farm.
 
Two or three years ago found a cow with drainage that should have been three or four months breed and another cow that was open, vet pulled some blood samples and one had high titers for hardjo bovis strain of lepto. Most vaccines don't cover that one so we reworked the herd and gave that shot, right after the booster was given lost one that was about 7 months breed and found that calf. Took it to have tested while I don't remember the term they used they said something they seen was consistent with lepto, they suggested blood sampling the cow but the vet said it was really to late by that time. We kept her and she had a calf last year fine and is due next month this year. So I hope all goes well. I did a lot of reading on the hardjo bovis lepto strain and it is suppose to be the most common form of lepto but at that time we only found 2 vaccines that even cover it, go figure.
 
tom4018":tgpo0b1z said:
Two or three years ago found a cow with drainage that should have been three or four months breed and another cow that was open, vet pulled some blood samples and one had high titers for hardjo bovis strain of lepto. Most vaccines don't cover that one so we reworked the herd and gave that shot, right after the booster was given lost one that was about 7 months breed and found that calf. Took it to have tested while I don't remember the term they used they said something they seen was consistent with lepto, they suggested blood sampling the cow but the vet said it was really to late by that time. We kept her and she had a calf last year fine and is due next month this year. So I hope all goes well. I did a lot of reading on the hardjo bovis lepto strain and it is suppose to be the most common form of lepto but at that time we only found 2 vaccines that even cover it, go figure.

It was about 2 years ago that the first vaccines came out that covered hardjo. Supposedly up until then it wasn;t a very common problem.
 
Some researchers have told me that 6 months of age is waiting too long to start vaccinating, more like 2-3 months. Too high of a risk of being infected before immunizing. Be careful not to interchange "hardjo" with "hardjo bovis" as they are separate strains that do not cross protect with vaccines.

If you use a hardjo bovis vaccine and you also might sell semen talk to a vet at one of the bull studs. When the vaccine first came out there was discussion that immunized bulls couldn't be reliably differentiated from infected ones and this could affect the sale of collected semen. I don't know what the current thought is.
 
Thanks all.
Since I posted, I have spoken to our vet. He agreed that LA200 was the proper medication. Says it is easily cured with LA200. Go figure! I was a bit (more than a bit!) worried. I really didn't want to "eat" her - sold her for high dollar.
I called the new owner and he also got the same feedback from others.
Heifer was sold May 9 - buyer just got her last Thursday. She would have gotten it here.
We have a LOT of deer here - and they carry Lepto. We vaccinate everything twice a year.
After many years of vaccinating, I learned that Lepto vaccine needs an initial booster within about 4 weeks. So for past maybe 4-5 years, when we vaccinate our calf crop in the summer with MLV shots & boosters 4 weeks later, we give the heifers Lepto both times thru chute. Than they go on the 2x year program.
I just never knew CALVES could get sick with it. :shock: All calves will get Lepto shots from now on.
This heifer is a fall born, and she received all the respiratory MLV shots & clostridials, but hadn't given any Lepto yet. She would have gotten it with the normal time thru the chute with the spring calves. Won't wait next time!
Always something to learn in this business.
Again, thanks for posting.
 
Jeanne you have sure given me something to think about with this Lepto thing. I always had in my mind that Lepto was just a reproductive type disease. We have a lot of deer in our area too and always vaccinate cows and bulls twice a year and replacement heifers twice at weaning with Triangle 9 but if I was doing steers at weaning I would give Triangle 4 if I had it. I thought I learned that from observation with my Vet,Triangle 9 for females and bulls, Triangle 4 for steers. I guess that will be a question for him sometime. It looks like there is only about $.25 difference in the two vaccines Triangle9 vs. Triangle 4. How many of you vaccinate steers for Lepto?
 
Yup - repro disease - that's all I ever worried about. Never "thunk" calves could get sick! She was running a fever & having trouble urinating.
She was one of the cattle we sold in the Gettysburg Stars & Stripes Sale - 2nd high selling animal in the sale (sale results listed on sale board). The buyer has been very nice about it. Of course, he doesn't need to worry - we will back her completely. I'll still be concerned until buyer tells me she's OK.
 
Lepto is a bivalent inactivated vaccine conferring protection against
leptospirosis caused by Leptospira canicola and icterohaemorrhagiae.
 
marryanne":1c4uxvp2 said:
Lepto is a bivalent inactivated vaccine conferring protection against
leptospirosis caused by Leptospira canicola and icterohaemorrhagiae.
Seriously, icterohaemorrhagiae?
 
ga.prime":216652rr said:
marryanne":216652rr said:
Lepto is a bivalent inactivated vaccine conferring protection against
leptospirosis caused by Leptospira canicola and icterohaemorrhagiae.
Seriously, icterohaemorrhagiae?
Keep on your toes ga...never know when "it" might slip up on your. :lol2:
 
Jeanne,
Lepto hardjo-bovis is a cattle adapted strain - if the lab determines that LHB is the culprit, then widlife, including deer, are not the culprit, and if you've just been vaccinating with the standard 5-way Lepto vaccine, your cattle are lacking cross-protection against LHB.
Check with your vet on setting up a program to begin vaccinating against LHB - and treating non-vaccinates to clear the carrier state, if he/she deems it necessary.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_q ... ntent;col1

http://www.dairyherd.com/special_report ... ed_id=4603
 
Thanks Lucky - no this was the "normal" strain. So far, our vet is not recommending vaccinating for the Hardjo variety.
This is an old post - update is that the heifer is doing great, bred right on schedule & they are very happy with her.
I have a full sister in our showstring this year - she was Reserve Sr Calf Ch at NY State Fair (behind our older Sr Hfr Calf!).
 
ga.prime":3a376o3x said:
marryanne":3a376o3x said:
Lepto is a bivalent inactivated vaccine conferring protection against
leptospirosis caused by Leptospira canicola and icterohaemorrhagiae.
Seriously, icterohaemorrhagiae?


I cannot wait for the importunity to use this word in a casual conversation, now if only I could pronounce it . :lol2: :p
 

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