Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Farm And Home - with Rex Dollar

It will soon be time to vaccinate the spring born calves. The investment in disease prevention is less than the cost of disease treatment. Don't wait until a disease outbreak occurs before implementing a sound herd health program. For cattle to reach their performance potential, they must be healthy.

Many animal health problems can be controlled with good management, proper nutrition and vaccination against infectious diseases. Beef cattle vaccination programs vary, depending upon the type of operation. It is important to contact your veterinarian to determine the appropriate vaccination program for your herd. The following information is to use as a guide.

Cows and bulls should receive annual vaccinations for IBR, BVD, PI3, BRSV, blackleg (7-way) and leptospirosis (5-way). Other vaccinations such as vibriosis, trichomoniasis, pinkeye, anthrax and anaplasmosis are optional.

Pre-weaning calves should be vaccinated for blackleg (7-way), IBR-BVD-PI3, leptospirosis and brucellosis (heifers). Optional vaccinations include BRSV, pasteurella, pinkeye, and E. coli.

Replacement heifers should receive IBR, BVD, PI3, vibriosis, leptospirosis and blackleg (7-way) before breeding. Contact your local veterinarian to determine which optional vaccines may be needed on your ranch.

Customize vaccination programs for your operation. Items to consider while establishing a vaccination program include type of cattle operation, frequency of introducing new stock, post-vaccination problems and export or interstate shipping requirements.

For best results, always follow the manufacturer's recommendations for dosage, method of administration, number of times given and proper storage. Preventing disease through the use of a herd health management plan saves time and money. To get the best results you should always work with a veterinarian who is familiar with your beef cattle operation.

The cost of preventive management is sometimes difficult to justify. An annual vaccine cost of a health program ranges between $3 to $10 per cow-calf unit.

Administering the vaccines properly is very important to maximum the benefit of the vaccine. The best way to avoid problems is to follow label instructions and identify each animal receiving the drug at the time it is administered.

Drugs can be administered at least nine different ways. An acceptable route of administration is provided on the label. Only one route of administration may be specified or options may be given. Give the drug subcutaneously when the choice is either subcutaneous or intramuscular injection.

The best location for an injection is not necessarily the most convenient. It is the site where the product will be most beneficial without the risk of damaging expensive cuts of meat. Generally, it is best to keep all injections in front of the shoulder. Never inject into the top butt or top of the rump.

For both vaccines and antibiotics, the triangular mass of neck muscles is the preferred site for both intramuscular and subcutaneous injections. Be sure to inject straight in, not from the side. Never inject more than 10 ml (cc) into one site. When making multiple injections, keep injection sites at least five inches apart, being careful not to reuse injection sites.