A34-Lancaster ■arming, Penn State Cooperative Extension Capitol Region Dairy Team DO YOU HAVE A FARM VACCINATION PLAN? Dr. Arlen Mills Capitol Region Extension Veterinarian Lebanon Vaccination is an essential part of any infectious disease control program for dairy farms. But to be successful, it must be planned to meet the needs of each opera tion. It must be remembered that vaccines (we hope) increase the animal’s resistance to disease, but that resistance can be over whelmed if good management practices are not followed. A question which comes up with several of the viral infections is whether to use a killed vaccine or a modified live type vaccine. This continues to be debated, but the consensus is that, especially for the first immunization that a young calf receives, modified live vaccines give superior protection. Setting up a vaccination pro gram means determining 1) which diseases to vaccinate ‘Great Holstein Roundup * Under Way BRATTLEBORO, Vt. Hol stein Association USA, Inc. has announced the beginning of the “Great Holstein Roundup.” The goal of the “Great Hol stein Roundup” is to ensure a strong genetic base for the breed in the future by preserving to day’s top genetic information. This fall, Holstein Association USA is searching for any registered Hol stein that may have been sold without an ownership transfer, re gardless of purchase or sale date. An ownership trans fer officially records the animal’s current ownership with the as sociation. The register ed Holstein’s ancestry and lactation informa tion is beneficial in making profitable breeding decisions, both for that specific animal and for her off spring. 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The transfer guarantees a higher price for the registered Holstein at the time of sale. Registered Holsteins continue to give buyers a high rate of return for a minimal in vestment, in addition to building Lancaster ~==t = T = T =: * Poured | Walls • Agriculture • Commercial •Residential li I— J Call for Prices On: • NRCS approved Manure Storage Pits • Concrete • Basements • Retaining Walls Pumping • Footers • Foundation Walls Customer Satisfaction Is Our Goal Lancaster Poured Walls, Inc. 2542 Horseshoe Rd.» Lancaster. PA 17601 (717) 656-7370 » Fax (717) 656-7350 For Mon Information and Free Literature Contact Oak Tree Stove Sales 632 Elysburg Road Danville PA 17821 Phone (570)672-1096 Fax (570)672 3221 Manufacturer and Distributor best for your farm. On most farms, calves can re ceive their first immunizations at four to six months of age. This is where the use of a modified live vaccine is recommended con taining BVD, IBR, PI3, BRSV and lepto. Repeat this in four to six weeks to get those calves which did not respond to the vac cine initially and to ensure good BRSV protection. On some farms with respirato ry problems in the younger-age calves, I have vaccinated earlier, using this same vaccine or with just a modified live BRSV. Early vaccinated calves should be vac cinated at four to six months of age like any other calf, because we are never sure of the duration of immunity of early vaccinated calves. Calves should also receive a Clostridial bacterin as well at the four- to six-month age. I am rec ommending this more often now as we seem to be seeing more of the Clostridial enteritis is dairy herds and the potential for Clos tridial diseases is always present. A new vaccine has recently been released for leptospirosis. The vaccines that have the five strain lepto that we have been using for a number of years are known to be ineffective in pro tecting against the hardjo strain that is actually most common in cattle. A new vaccine recently became available for the lepto hardjo strain. The vaccine must be given before exposure to lepto may occur. If infection may already be possible, pretreating with an anti biotic and then vaccinating is rec ommended. For the vac- cine to be effective in cows, pretreatment with the anti- biotic is necessary before or a strong genetic base in their herd. Holstein Association USA, Inc. encourages any Holsfein breeder who has purchased animals in the past to call (800) 952-5200 to find out how they can participate in the “Great Holstein Roundup.” concurrent with vaccination with the new lepto hardjo vaccine. Since the new vaccine only con tains the one type of lepto, we must continue to use the five strain vaccine to protect against the other lepto strains. The next vaccinations are due as prebreeding boosters. At this time, repeat the modified live vaccine containing BVD, IBR, PI3, BRSV, and lepto. In herds which have had a Salmonella problem, start heifers on a core antigen type bacterin at this time as well. The next task is the dry cows and prefresh heifers. This is a good time to booster the cow’s immunity to BVD, IBR, PI3, BRSV, and lepto. This will en hance the level of antibodies available in the colostrum for the calf and provide a boost to the cow’s immunity at a critical time. I recommend the use of a killed vaccine at this time, be cause you should have good im munity from the modified live vaccine given earlier and the killed vaccines are labeled for use in bred animals. There are modi fied-live vaccines labeled for use in bred cows, but they must have had the same vaccine given pre breeding or abortions may result. The dry cows and prefresh heifers may also get a J 5 bacte rin-toxoid to prevent coliform mastitis. The number of doses will depend on the vaccine used. This is also the time to begin a Rota and Corona scour vaccine program if this is a farm prob lem. I prefer a scours vaccine that also contains E. coli and Clostridial antigens. Do not vac cinate within a week of freshen ing, or the week after freshening either. During this critical time, the cow’s immune system is de pressed to the point of not being able to respond to a vaccine. I see a lot of variation in the vaccination of the lactating cows. If the young stock vaccination program is being done properly, then I find that the type of vac cine used in the adult cows isn’t as critical. Some producers are using a modified live vaccine as a booster for all fresh cows pre breeding. Just remember to read and follow label directions care fully. Many producers are using killed products in the lactating cows successfully. If the whole herd is being vaccinated at one time, vaccination should be done twice yearly. Vaccinate in the fall and again in the spring. Discuss with your veterinarian the pros and cons of using a modified-live vaccine vs. a killed product. In the last several years, I have seen more and more respiratory problems in adult cows. Switch ing these herds to a vaccine that had a live BRSV fraction in the lactating cow booster seemed to be helpful. These herds had not been using a modified live vac cine in the young stock, which I’m sure is part of the problem. A successful vaccination pro gram takes careful planning. The program must be scientifically correct and supported by good management practices.
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