Volume 8, No. 4
YOU DO NOT NEED ANTIHISTAMINES
By Russ Schnepper, D. V. M.
Recover and the generic antihistamine, triplelenamine, are on a long term back order situation, with no expected delivery date. A few individuals have had the
antihistamines compounded for them by private pharmacies. The products are very expensive and are not manufactured to FDA specifications for widespread use
in food animals. The law that allows compounding was meant for a very few drugs that are no longer manufactured, etc., not to take the place of drugs
manufactured by FDA inspected facilities. If a problem develops with a drug that is manufactured by a major drug company, the drug company will usually stand
behind their product. That may not be true on a compounded product. You just may be on your own.
The American Bovine Practitioner's web site has been filled with questions and opinions concerning the use of antihistamines. I will quote, with his permission,
Dr. Mike Apley, DVM, PhD, Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology and a professor at Iowa State University Veterinary School. Dr.
Apley has done an extensive search of the literature and can not come up with one study based on clinical efficacy that would justify the use of antihistamines in
the bovine. He stopped recommending its use in cattle in 1990. Dr. Apley has worked in large feedlots having computerized record systems. They studied the
effect of antihistamines on respiratory disease. They saw no benefit from using antihistamines and no detrimental effect when they stopped using them. If there is
a place to use antihistamines, it would be extremely early in the disease process, but by the time you know the calf is sick, it is too late for the antihistamine to
provide a benefit.
I have always felt the effect was extremely short. I believe all the antihistamine is gone within two hours of your injecting it. So we really do not need the
product. It is just an added cost to treatment and puts another hole in the calf. I have used a large dose of antihistamine IV on down cows and it sure gives the
cow a buzz and some will jump up. But I really can't document any other beneficial use.
Some people use antihistamines to treat anaphylactoid reactions, but there is no real evidence that it accomplishes anything. I checked several products for
precautionary statements and everyone of them say to treat anaphylactoid reactions by injecting epinephrine. A few calf raisers are adamant that antihistamines
saved their calf - all I can say is "The calf is pretty strong and many of them will live in spite of what you and I do to them". All calves do not die from the
reaction if untreated. Most reactions occur within 15 to 20 minutes of injection. If they are treated promptly with epinephrine, the majority of the calves do recover.
We must learn to live without antihistamines. I just checked and there is a major problem with supply and it may be a long time before any product is available.
So in the mean time, you can save money by not buying. Aspirin would do more good.
Contact information for ordering and questions about our products:
Schnepper International, Inc.
3162 County B, Platteville, WI 53818
608-348-6141, Fax: 608-348-6146
www.calfdoctor.com email: rschnep@mhtc.net