Complete herd health programs should be a mainstay of production animal practice; however, I find these programs are rarely revisited by the veterinarian and the producer resulting in "antigenic shift" towards unrealistic programs for which the veterinarian is still considered the source.
Complete herd health programs should be a mainstay of production animal practice; however, I find these programs are rarely revisited by the veterinarian and the producer resulting in "antigenic shift" towards unrealistic programs for which the veterinarian is still considered the source.
COW-CALF HERD HEALTH PROGRAM
It is imperative to develop a realistic outline for a herd health/vaccination program and to revisit the program on a yearly basis to analyze production changes that may affect the application and outcome of the program. Many of the animal health companies have vaccination and process verified programs that producers can access via the web, but these programs must be evaluated in light of the production system to which it is to be applied—one size does not fit all! Veterinarians can utilize the programs as a basis for a herd health program and as a guideline for discussions on the coming year's herd health needs. I recommend the core beef system program to include a parenteral 5-way MLV viral and the clostridials. This should be administered to all cattle on a yearly basis after a complete calfhood vaccination program utilizing the same core vaccines. Everything else should be production system specific.
• Respiratory diseases
o IBR, BVD 1&2, BRSV, PI3
o Pasteurellas, Hemophilus
• Reproductive diseases
o IBR, BVDs, Trichomonas, Brucella, Leptospirals, Vibrio, Neospora
• GI diseases
o Rotavirus, Coronavirus, Clostridia C & D, E. coli, Salmonella
• Others
o Pinkeye (Moraxella bovis), Foot rot (Fusobacter necrophorum),
o Warts (Papillomavirus)
• Sudden death
o Clostridials
The vaccines that should be given every year to all animals.
o IBR, BVD 1 & 2,BRSV,PI3
o Clostridials
o Of course–Brucella, where required!
These vaccines can be incorporated in specific programs depending on need.
o Scours vaccines–via the Dam
o Pasteurellas—Feedlot bound
o Trichomonas—Bull testing is better
o Vibrio—Infertility problem, vaccinate pre-breeding
o Lepto—3rd trimester abortions problem, vaccinate mid-preg or preg check
o Foot rot
o Pink eye—fly control is important
o Warts—rarely indicated because the infection is self-limiting and sporadic
Podcast CE: A Surgeon’s Perspective on Current Trends for the Management of Osteoarthritis, Part 1
May 17th 2024David L. Dycus, DVM, MS, CCRP, DACVS joins Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, to discuss a proactive approach to the diagnosis of osteoarthritis and the best tools for general practice.
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