Now there’s 14-180 days between doses allowing vaccination at weaning.
Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) causes between 50% and 90%1 of sickness and death in Australian feedlots, and it’s estimated to cost the Beef Industry $60 million annually2.
BRD is a complex disease involving many contributing factors that, if combined, compromise the respiratory defences of affected cattle, allowing infection to establish in the lungs and produce severe, often fatal, pneumonia. Contributing factors include stressors such as transport, dietary changes, feedlot induction, pen competition and mixing of cattle from different sources.
Over the last two years major Australian feedlots have started paying a premium for cattle pre-vaccinated with Bovilis MH + IBR from Coopers Animal Health.
Bovilis MH + IBR is a combination vaccine given subcutaneously that helps to control bacterial and viral causes of BRD. Controlling BRD has been proven to help cattle perform better in the feedlot.
Bovilis MH + IBR now has a flexible inter-vaccination interval (the time between the first and the second dose) of 14 to 180 days.
This recently achieved new label claim has been possible due to scientific data generated in Australian cattle and is great news for the Australian beef industry.
Cattle producers supplying cattle to feedlots can now pre-vaccinate at the same time as other normal management practices at weaning and reap the rewards at sale time.
Feedlots can now feel safe in the knowledge that their traditional suppliers will have plenty of time to vaccinate pre sale. Resellers can confidently stock Bovilis MH+IBR as it becomes part of standard cattle management rather than a last minute rush order.
Paul Speers, Marketing Manager for Coopers Animal Health says “Over the last couple of years, sales of Bovilis MH+IBR have increased by over 50% as feedlots and backgrounders recognised the benefits the vaccine provides in helping to control BRD, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality.
The main barrier to use however has been the short window available to apply the vaccine prior to sale of the animal. By providing flexibility in the interval between doses we’ve made it possible for cattle producers to pre-vaccinate their cattle at a time that fits with other farm activities. While we have been working hard with our pre-vaccination partners to ensure the vaccine is available to producers, this extension reinforces the work that we have been doing behind the scenes to make it easier to use this vaccine.”
References:
1MLA Tips and Tools FL06 (2006). Controlling Bovine Respiratory Disease in Feedlot Cattle.
2MLA FLOT.219 (2007). Rapid detection of bovine respiratory disease pathogens. AU/BMI/0317/0004
