fenceman
Well-known member
If I'm understanding what I've read. A group of open cows that has not been exposed to a bull for approximately a year can be considered trich free. Does that sound correct.?
trich question
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Kingfisher
Well-known member
Plus, Payne points out testing cows is a challenge because the more time that's passed since exposure, the more unlikely you are to find it in the cow. That's because the number of organisms decline rapidly after a cow aborts.
"The rule of thumb is that if an open cow hasn't been exposed to a bull for 120-150 days, then the chances of trich being present are reduced," Payne explains. So, those who are risk averse and buying open cows could wait that long to breed them.
Vaccinating cows
You can vaccinate cows against trich, but it's operation dependent, Payne says. "It isn't a substitute for biosecurity and good management practices; it's a tool that is available. Some data suggests the vaccine won't necessarily prevent infection, but can increase calving rate. Used across the herd, it may prevent catastrophic losses if administered prior to the introduction of the disease," he says. Again, this decision should be made by producers with their veterinarians.
"Another alternative is to breed them with a bull you don't let breed other cows, using that bull as a sentinel," Payne says. In other words, if the bull tests negative going in and coming out, the cows are clean.
"Or, you can just throw caution to the wind," Payne says. He doesn't mean that facetiously, either. Besides the low prevalence rate overall, there can be sound reasons for believing trich risk is negligible. Payne stresses that producers and their veterinarians should work together to choose the appropriate strategy.
Troxel emphasizes solid management mitigates the risk. "Have good cow and calving records and a tight calving season so that you can recognize the symptoms of trichomoniasis early."
"The rule of thumb is that if an open cow hasn't been exposed to a bull for 120-150 days, then the chances of trich being present are reduced," Payne explains. So, those who are risk averse and buying open cows could wait that long to breed them.
Vaccinating cows
You can vaccinate cows against trich, but it's operation dependent, Payne says. "It isn't a substitute for biosecurity and good management practices; it's a tool that is available. Some data suggests the vaccine won't necessarily prevent infection, but can increase calving rate. Used across the herd, it may prevent catastrophic losses if administered prior to the introduction of the disease," he says. Again, this decision should be made by producers with their veterinarians.
"Another alternative is to breed them with a bull you don't let breed other cows, using that bull as a sentinel," Payne says. In other words, if the bull tests negative going in and coming out, the cows are clean.
"Or, you can just throw caution to the wind," Payne says. He doesn't mean that facetiously, either. Besides the low prevalence rate overall, there can be sound reasons for believing trich risk is negligible. Payne stresses that producers and their veterinarians should work together to choose the appropriate strategy.
Troxel emphasizes solid management mitigates the risk. "Have good cow and calving records and a tight calving season so that you can recognize the symptoms of trichomoniasis early."
