HELP GET CALVES OFF TO A HEALTHIER START WITH AN INTRANASAL VACCINE
Putting together plans for spring, ranchers know their success depends on much more than choosing the right string of horses – calf health is also of up
HELP GET CALVES OFF TO A HEALTHIER START WITH AN INTRANASAL VACCINE
Putting together plans for spring, ranchers know their success depends on much more than choosing the right string of horses – calf health is also of upmost importance. Using an intranasal vaccine at branding or summer turnout can help prepare young calves to kick-start their fight against bovine respiratory disease (BRD), according to Michael Nichols, DVM, Cattle and Equine Technical Services at Zoetis.
“There are intranasal vaccines that can be used in calves of all ages,” Dr. Nichols said. “Some intranasal vaccines can actually help override maternal antibodies present in colostrum and they can help prime the calf’s immune system, helping make future vaccinations more effective.”1-3
Ingestion of adequate colostrum after birth is critical to a calf’s health during the first months of life. While antibodies present in colostrum can help fight off diseases in young calves, they also can interfere with the immune response to vaccination, potentially making the vaccine less effective.1 A recent trial tested young calves’ ability to respond to bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) vaccination in the presence of maternal antibodies received from colostrum. The results demonstrated that calves vaccinated with INFORCETM 3 respiratory vaccine had almost half the lung lesions, 44 percent fewer, and reduced morbidity when compared with non-vaccinated calves.2
“This trial indicates that the BRSV fraction present in INFORCE 3 can override BRSV maternal antibodies,2 which is especially important for young calves at branding or turnout, as BRSV is a primary cause of viral pneumonia and can be particularly damaging to calves from birth through weaning,”4 Dr. Nichols said.
In addition to overriding BRSV maternal antibodies, during another recent trial, it was shown that INFORCE 3 doesn’t interfere with concurrent use of a Mannheimia haemolytic