Vaccinations

Leptospirosis

Animal Class:  All stock

Boosters: Annually

Recommendation: Compulsory

Info: This disease is critical to control because it risks human health. It is passed primarily through urine and can easily be passed to anyone working with cows (farmers, vets, meatworkers). Because of this we keep a register of Leptospirosis vaccinations to ensure every farm is done every year, and we do the vaccinating ourselves or under our supervision.

Clostridial Disease

Animal Class:  Calves

Boosters: N/A

Recommendation: Very Strongly Recommended

Info: All of these vaccines are for clostridial diseases, such as blackleg and tetanus, which often cause sudden death in young stock. The differences between the different brands are:

• Ultravac 5-in-1 - Has 5 common clostridial diseases
• Ultravac 7-in-1    Has 5 common clostridial diseases plus the two most common strains of lepto
• Covexin 10-in-1  Has 10 strains of clostridial diseases

BVD

Animal Class:  All stock especially Calves and Heifers

Boosters: Annual boosters for Cows if indicated and Bulls used for mating

Recommendation:  Strongly recommended if calves are away grazing or infection identified on farm

Info: BVD is a viral disease carried by persistently infected animals that show no signs. Infection in young calves can cause a diarrhoea outbreak and weight loss. Adult animals infection often result in poor mating results, abortions and the birth of weak, deformed or more persistently infected animals.

We recommend vaccinating calves before they go out grazing because they mix with other stock, including bulls purchased for mating, often from unknown origin and BVD status; and give a booster pre-mating, to protect the foetus from infection. The virus is relatively common, however routine testing and monitoring are not. Prevention of a BVD outbreak is far better than trying to treat one!

Salmonella

Animal Class: All stock especially calves out grazing.

Boosters: Annual boosters if indicated

Recommendation: Only if indicated by previous infection

Info: Salmonella is a bacteria that can be carried in the gut of cows or other animals such as Ducks and Pukekos, but can also survive in the damp swampy ground for many years. We often see individual cases of salmonella diarrhoea in cows, although outbreaks are rare.

Salmonella vaccinations are recommended by us when your property, herd or grazing has experienced an outbreak in the past.

Rotavirus

Animal Class:  Cows

Boosters: Annually

Recommendation: Recommend for best practice calf rearing

Info: Vaccinating the cows before calving, boosting the antibody levels against rotavirus several hundred-fold in the colostrum that the newborn calves receive. Rotavirus outbreaks in calves can be devastating and expensive to treat. Recommended management practices must be adhered to to ensure that the full benefits of the vaccine are received.

Pinkeye

Animal Class: mostly Calves and Heifers

Boosters: N/A

Recommendations: If you have a history of previous outbreaks or sometimes in the middle of an outbreak

Info: Pinkeye is a bacterial infection of the eye. Initial signs are excess tears and conjunctivitis, then quickly spreading to infection and ulcers of the cornea. It can spread relatively quickly through a mob of young stock. The vaccine is best used as outbreak prevention but can be used in the face of an outbreak to slow down the spread.