Why bother with boosters?

The basis of any vaccination program is to provide long lasting protection against disease.

Disease challenges can happen throughout the life of an animal. Vaccines rely on the animal’s own immune system to provide that protection. They do this by stimulating the immune system to produce an antibody response to a specific “foreign invader” such as a bacteria, virus or protein. To provide long-term protection, most vaccines require two shots. The first shot, or priming dose, stimulates the immune system to recognise the particular bacteria, virus or protein contained in the vaccine. This first dose does not give sustained protection^. When you give the second dose, the memory cells produced in response to the first vaccination swing into action, producing antibodies on a far greater scale and in a short period of time. The response to the second vaccination gives the animal protection for up to 12 months*.

To maintain a protective level of antibodies in the animal year on year, annual boosters are essential. These annual booster shots are only effective if the animal has received its two primary doses of vaccine^.

Knowing the importance of giving animals vaccine boosters and the difficulty with farm planning, Zoetis have developed the Farm Planner. Farm Planner is a web application that lets you register your farm and livestock details and management practice; then based on the information provided, the system records and recommends important dates and times to assist you in farm planning.

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For more information on the Farm Planner, please visit
https://www.zoetis.com.au/livestock-solutions/farmplanner.aspx

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* Refer to product label for specific details on timing of vaccinations and duration of immunity.
^ For vaccines with a two-shot protocol. Gudair® and Scabigard® are single dose vaccines which stimulate the immune system in a different way to what is outlined here.

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