Phil's editorial: Calves represent future income for a livestock farm. One of the biggest threats to calf health is pneumonia. It can be fatal. Plenty of evidence exists that healthy calves outperform herd-mates that have had pneumonia. So, effective disease protection can improve performance for an animal's lifetime. I believe many fewer than half the calves at risk are vaccinated to protect them from pneumonia. Prescription for healthy calves: Colostrum (three litres) within six hours of birth; dry bed and clean housing; fresh air without draughts; vaccination; all administered by good people.
Of course, I was paid to write what follows below; but not that above.
New
one-dose pack for calf pneumonia vaccine (more at plantoproduce.co.uk)
January
2016
For
respiratory health protection of calves as soon as possible after
birth without either waiting to batch them in groups or wasting
unused vaccine in multi-dose packs, a one-dose vial of Rispoval®
IntraNasal has been introduced by manufacturer Zoetis.
To
make ready for use, the vaccine is reconstituted by mixing a powder
with sterile diluent. Once mixed, the licensed shelf life is two
hours. This means any that is unused in multi-dose packs must be
thrown away. By stocking a combination of one- and multi-dose packs,
farmers can eliminate this.
The
vaccine protects against two primary viral causes of pneumonia in
young calves, BRSv and Pi3v [ref
1].
Surveillance of blood samples from 2,145 calves with pneumonia signs
found 78% exposed to BRSv, 81% to Pi3v [ref
2].
The product licence allows use from nine days of age, with onset of
immunity to BRSv and Pi3v after five and 10 days respectively. The
licence also specifies a duration of immunity of 12 weeks.
Zoetis
vet Carolyn Hogan advises that viruses are the instigator of a
majority of respiratory health problems. "Early-life protection
also helps reduce the threat from opportunistic secondary bacterial
infections, such as Pasteurella,"
she says.
"Good
respiratory health is essential to ensure calves develop to achieve
their lifetime potential. But it's estimated that 67% of pneumonia
cases occur in calves less than three months of age [ref
3].
"
Whether suckled or reared, calves that don’t grow effectively in
the early weeks are unlikely to catch up later. On both dairy and
beef units, proactive management of the calf living space, nutrition
and disease resilience is critical to maximise lifetime productivity,
which is clearly so important under today's farm business economics.
More
information about the benefits of managing respiratory health in
calves is available at plantoproduce.co.uk.
-ends-
PRESS
RELEASE ISSUED ON BEHALF OF ZOETIS, TADWORTH, UK
Zoetis
contact: Available on request.
Author
& PR contact: Phil Christopher, Red Rock Publicity, 07802 672304,
phil@redrock.uk.com.
Rispoval®
RS+Pi3 IntraNasal contains modified live Bovine Pi3 virus, ts strain
RLB103 and modified live BRSV, strain 375, POM V. For further
information, farmers should contact their veterinary surgeon or
Zoetis UK Ltd , Walton Oaks, Dorking Road, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20
7NS. Customer Support: 0845 300 8034, www.zoetis.co.uk. Use
medicines responsibly – www.noah.co.uk/responsible.. AH528/15.
References
1GRAHAM,
D.A. et al. (1998) J Vet Diagnostic Investigation 10, 43-48
2ZOETIS
respiratory serology surveillance scheme January - December 2015
(n=2145 for BRSv and Pi3v)
3ZOETIS
market research (2006)
