Weaning is stressful for calves and producers alike. In cattle, that stress can lead to bacterial infections, bovine respiratory disease (BRD), and extra labor and expense for the producer, says Dr. Joe Dedrickson, Director of Merial Large Animal Veterinary Professional Services. But, he says, by vaccinating for Pasteurella and minimizing stress, producers can help their calves make the transition with a clean bill of health.
Dr. Max Mekus of Mount Ayr Veterinary Clinic, Mount Ayr, Iowa, agrees. He works with many cow/calf producers and calf backgrounding operations, and has seen the toll Pasteurella and BRD can take on calf health and producer profits.
“Weaning is often the most stressful time in an animal’s life,” Dr. Mekus explains. “Stress weakens the immune system, opening calves to Pasteurella infection.”
Nearly 75% of all diagnosed cases of BRD result from the Pasteurella bacteria.8 Pasteurella bacteria inhabit the upper respiratory tract of healthy cattle. Pneumonia occurs when the Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida migrate to the lungs.
Vaccinating calves for Pasteurella before weaning builds immunity, helping them get through the stressful time with less chance of illness, Dr. Dedrickson says. He adds that reducing stress also is important. “Weaning calves before shipping and practicing low-stress weaning methods, such as fence line weaning, also serve to maintain health.”
Producers stand to benefit whether they retain ownership, wean prior to shipping or sell calves directly off the cow.
“If producers don’t vaccinate for Pasteurella and an animal gets sick, they’ll have to invest time and money to treat the calf,” Dr. Mekus says. “Plus, the calf could gain weight more slowly, suffer permanent lung damage, become chronic, lose weight or even die in some cases.”
The costs of treating a calf for BRD add up quickly. One report indicated that the average cost to treat one animal for BRD in 1,000- to 7,999-head feedyards was $11.09, and in 8,000-head or more feedyards, the cost increased to $16.26.9
And those numbers only account for actual treatment costs. Further profits can be lost due to reduced weight gain and death losses. Dr. Mekus says many cattle buyers are willing to invest up-front to help avoid incurring these losses later.
“Cattle buyers pay attention to preconditioning and usually pay more for calves that have been vaccinated,” Dr. Mekus says. “They know there’s a greater chance that those calves will be healthy and do well in the feedyard.”
Reaping the benefits of vaccinating for Pasteurella requires planning.
“It takes time to build immunity so, ideally, you should vaccinate two to four weeks before weaning,” Dr. Mekus says. “I typically recommend using a one-dose product that builds immunity to both Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida.”
Dr. Dedrickson notes that a Pasteurella vaccine should be used in conjunction with a proven, nationwide preconditioning program that is certified by a veterinarian and backed by reputable animal health companies.
“Once calves become sick, their performance will never catch up to their healthy counterparts,” Dr. Dedrickson says. “Prevention of the disease is the best option.”
Dr. Dedrickson notes that if producers do obtain cattle that were not vaccinated for Pasteurella, they should observe the animals closely and treat with a long-lasting oxytetracycline at the first sign of BRD.
Source: MERIAL