Vaccinations
by Sandy Meyers and Patti Seeley
Some of us have been in the cattle/ranching business for many years and some of us are new to raising cattle, specifically Lowlines, and since these cattle do not come with an instruction booklet, we have decided to help everyone by giving suggestions of what you should be doing and when. We are going to rely on the people that have extensive knowledge of the cattle business to pass on suggestions to help those of you that are new and less experienced. These are best practices suggestions for the Southern United States and may differ from your practices depending on where you live and what your veterinarian may advise or require, so please keep that in mind and keep an open dialogue with your local veterinarian.
One of the most important topics is vaccinations and what you should give to whom, when and how often. Your schedule would depend on your individual needs and you can tweak the suggested program accordingly, but you would want to commit to a schedule to make sure your herd is kept up to date with vaccinations. We are coming up on the first quarter of a new year and January is a good time to vaccinate all your Bulls with their annual vaccines. February is a good time to vaccinate your cows and heifers that will be involved with spring breeding and September would be a good time to vaccinate your cows and heifers that will be involved with fall breeding. The following are the recommended annual vaccinations for Bulls, Cows and Heifers:
Bulls Annual Vaccines
Vibrio, Lepto 5 (ViraShield 6 + VL5 HB or Triangle 9)
IBR, BVD, P13, BRSV,
Haemophilous Somnus
8– Way Clostridial (Ultra Choice 8, Vision 8, Ultrabac 8)
Multimin trace mineral injection
Trichomonas (Trichguard) (If a problem)
Pinkeye
Pasturella
Cows and Heifers Annual Vaccines Prior to Breeding (spring or fall)
Vibrio, Lepto 5 (ViraShield 6 + VL5 HB or Triangle 9)
IBR, BVD, P113m, BRSV,
Haemophilous Somnus
8– Way Clostridial (Ultra Choice 8, Vision 8, Ultrabac 8-Repeat Every 6 Months)
Scour (diarrhea) Vaccines – Rotavirus, Coronavirus, Clostridial Perfringens
Scourguard 3
KC or Scour Bos 9)
Multimin trace mineral injection
In the spring - E Coli (Fall Bred Cattle) / In the Fall – E Coli (Spring Bred Cattle)
Trichomonas (Trichguard) (If a problem)
Pinkeye (Esp. Hereford, Simmental Influenced – Angus in dry fly season)
Volar-Foot Rot Bacterin
Calves Vaccination Schedule depends on when the calf is born and the age of the calf as follows:
4 – 6 Months
IBR, BVD, P13, BRSV (Booster in 3 weeks)
+/- Lepto 5 (Killed Vaccine ViraShield 6 of Triangle 4)
7 or 8– way Clostridial (Booster in 3 weeks)
Somnus (Vision 7 Somnus, or Vision 8 Somnus, or
Ultrachoice 7 Somnus or 8 somnus)
Pasturella multicoida/haemolytica (Preresponse HM or OneShot)
Brucellosis – heifers 4 to 12 months of age- Calfhood Vacc)
IBR, BRSV, P13, BVD (Modified live vaccine – Pyramid 5, BoviShield 5,
Arsenal 4.1, Jencine 4)
IBR / P13 intranasal (TSV-2 intranasal or Nasalgen IP) if needed (If showing or
shipping somewhere and/or crowded)
I cannot stress how important a good vaccination program is to keeping your herd safe. Please take this list and check with your local vet as to the vaccination requirements in your area. If you plan to use any of your animals in any type of embryo program, please check with your Embryo Transfer (ET) Vet, for their vaccination requirements. If you plan to show any of your animals, it is very important to not only keep your animal safe, but to keep all the animals in the show safe with proper and up to date vaccinations.
Many Natural and Organic beef programs allow vaccinations. It is up to the discretion of the producer and their clients to agree on what is allowed their beef.
Deworming
Along with vaccinations, you should have a good de-worming program as follows:
Bulls, Cows and Heifers
Twice annually, April / May and October / November or as needed
Ist calf heifers and cows 2-4 weeks after calving
Reproduced from: Southwest Lowline Angus Breeders Association Newsletter 1