Transcript vaccination
Keeping Calves Healthy
Calf Management
Practices
Dairy Skills Training
Jerry Bertoldo, DVM
Extension Dairy Specialist
NWNY Team CCE/ Pro-Dairy
Health Triad
Causes of Mortality
scours
respiratory
Wet calves
56.5%
22.5%
Weaned calves
12.6%
46.5%
NAHMS 2007
Does Infection = Disease?
NO!
Does Vaccination = Immunity?
NO!
Primary and Secondary Immune Response
Titer
Response
(Anamnestic or Booster Response)
2nd exposure
Memory Cells
0
14
21
28
35
Time in days from
1st antigen exposure
Vaccination
The Act of Administering a Vaccine
Immunization
Occurs following vaccination
when a response can be measured.
Protection
Occurs when a properly immunized animal is protected
against a specific disease following vaccination.
Vaccine use
Maternal antibody interference is
largely dissipated by 2 months of age
Vaccination programs should be based
on history and risk of disease
introduction
Calf raisers adopt early
administration by necessity
MLV Vaccines
Advantages
Disadvantages
Rapid protection
May cause abortion
One dose?
No sunlight
exposure
No adjuvant
Better CMI and
mucosal
“Cleaner” product
Less expensive
Mix and use rapidly
Inactivation with
residues
Possible viral
contamination
Killed Viral Vaccines
Advantages
Disadvantages
Safe on all
pregnancies
More
hypersensitivity
Stability
Multiple doses
needed for
protection
Ready to use
Use as needed
Little or no CMI or
mucosal protection
More expensive
Vaccination precautions
The 1st time use of E.coli, Salmonella,
Pasturella, Hemophilus and Moraxella
vaccines can be associated with
delayed allergic reactions particularly
in Holstein and Jersey cattle
Limit vaccinating to two bacterial
components per time
Separate from next one by 7 days
Do not use 5 way Lepto on calves
GOOD IMMUNITY CAN BE
OVERCOME BY
POOR MANAGEMENT!!
Vaccination failures – 5 to 15%
Maternal antibody interference
Age – under 5 days old
Stress (cortisol) – too hot, dehorning
Poor nutrition
Improper vaccine handling
Following directions – IM, SQ, how
deep???
Vaccination alternatives
Intranasal – Nasalgen, Onset
Little maternal antibody interference
Quick response
Safe at very young age
Possible wider spectrum of effect
Oral – Calf Guard, First Defense
Timing just like colostrum
Behavioral patterns for wet
calves vary by age
Lying down (73-81%)
with age
(55% lying in daylight vs. near 100% at night)
Standing (4.4-11.4%)
with age
Eating (1.4-5.5%) levels off after 2nd wk
Grooming (2.5–4.5%)
with age
Investigating (0.2-2.9%)
with age
Contacting pen (2.7-9.0%) peaks in 3rd wk
Bedding Choices
Wood shavings
Straw
Sawdust
Pea gravel
Sand
Crusher fines
Paper by-products
Harvest by-products
Wood shavings
(+)
(-)
Absorbent
Variability
Comfortable
Availability
Insulating
Cost
Low initial pH
Supports coliform
growth
Limited fly support
Clean hair coats
Sawdust
(+)
(-)
Absorbent +/-
Variability
Comfortable
Lung irritation
Insulating
Supports coliform
growth
Low initial pH
Limited fly support
Cheaper than
shavings
Less nesting ability
Dirtier calves
Straw (wheat is best)
(+)
(-)
Fairly absorbent
Worst for flies
Comfortable
High streptococcal
growth
Best nesting
Best insulating
Availability
Low initial pH
Cost
Clean calves
Sand &
Pea gravel
(+)
Comfortable
Cheap?
Does not support
bacterial growth
Good drainage
(-)
Dirty calves
Not for cool to cold
weather
Best for fly control
Weight dictates
mechanical handling
Great base material
Variability of quality
Paper by-products
(+)
(-)
Comfortable +/-
Dirty calves
Cheap?
Compresses readily
Absorbent
Wet surface
Can use with straw
and shavings
Variability of quality
Dusty at times
Baby calves and
parasites
Nematodes, lice, mange and ringworm
can be transmitted from adults or their
environment, but are less problematic
than flies
Exposure to sunlight, nutritional status,
whether housed in groups or alone and
contact with older cattle determines
infection
Flies are dependent on environment
alone
Flies
House fly
Stable fly
Horn fly
Face fly
Cattle grub fly
Horse fly
Deer fly
House (Musca domestica)
and Stable flies (Stomoxys
calcitrans) are the major
problems around buildings
Horn, face, horse, grub and
deer flies are most
prevalent in pastured cattle
Diagnostic Work
Quantitative bacterial counts on
colostrum, waste milk, pasteurized
milk and rinse water from cleaned
feeding equipment
Culture potential contaminated areas
such as calf “hot box”, transport
vehicle, area under feed and water
Diagnostic Work
Check for water hardness and coliforms
Check forages for mycotoxins, pH and
digestibility
How many deaths are posted and sampled?
Live calf sampling for pathogens
Screening for BVD, BLV, mycoplasma,
salmonella
Zoonotic Diseases
for man and beast!
Crypto
Campylobacter
Salmonella
Lepto
Ringworm
Mange
Feed Additives
Milk replacer antibiotic (NT) inclusion
rates to change
Early and late wet period strategies
Better to have cocci control in milk
replacer than antibiotic
MOS products generally give payback
Probiotics can be helpful
Feed Additives
AS700, Aureomycin, Aureo+Bovatec
Good management or crutch?
Organic/chelated minerals up to 50%
High iron, hydrogen sulfide or sulfates
Animal source proteins
Serum, blood meal
Welfare Issues
Depends on your perception
Ease of identification and visibility by
public increases concern
Dairy world has an acclimated view of
many welfare issues
Includes trucking, handling, noise,
teat removal, vaccinating
Tail Docking
Aid or substitute for cleanliness?
Public views as mutilation and
unnecessary (like dogs?)
No research to show any benefit
A loosing battle?
Tail Docking - Banding
Best < 21 days of age – shorter
sensitivity period
Close-up heifers minimal effect
Local/epidural anesthetic of little value
Cortisol (stress) response no different
than restraint response
Possible chronic pain – neuromas
number of flies on hind quarters
Dehorning
Great variation in possible effect
Younger the better
Restraint is as big a player as pain
Easier position to defend than tails
Paste Dehorning
Used to be a sloppy, poor
method
Newer products have better
consistency
Key = early, clip, right spot and
amount
Minimal stress, mostly from restraint
Hot Iron Dehorning
Younger is better
Painful and stressful without medications
Lidocaine = 2-3 hours of pain relief
The effect of restraint is equal to that
of pain
Need sedative, local anesthetic and
anti-inflammatory to stop impact
Mediating Pain
Little effort in the industry to deal
with post procedural discomfort
Banamine (fluniximine) only practical
drug
IV should be only administration route
Half life is only 8 hours
Must be repeated every 24 hours
Raising baby calves is one of the
toughest challenges on the dairy!
Special nutrition
Naïve immune
system
Pathogen exposure
Weather variations
A host of stressful
events
They are bovine
infants!!