Volume 8, No. 7
TIMING OF VACCINATIONS IS CRITICAL
By: Russ Schnepper, D. V. M.
I just returned from California. My observations with the California calf ranches coincides with my observations in Wisconsin veal barns. Those who do their vaccinations the first week and then do not vaccinate until the calf is over a month old, are consistently successful. Whereas the late vaccinators, after the calf is over two weeks of age, are consistently fighting more problems. The successful California calf ranches are vaccinating the first week and then again at five weeks of age. I did not find one veal barn or calf ranch that goes against this rule that does not have more problems to deal with.
Dr. Vic Cortese, with Pfizer, realized there is a problem in this two to four week old calf. Vaccinating in this window has detrimental effects. You would have been much better off not to have vaccinated. Several studies have been conducted with the same outcome. There is a compartmentalizing of some of the white blood cells associated with the immune system that may be responsible for the bad outcome. Dr. Cortese recommends not vaccinating until the calf is over five days of age. I had recommended vaccinating day one in to the barn (which is probably a five day old calf). My reason for vaccinating on arrival was to get interferon production from the modified live virus vaccine. Now in light of what we have learned and the appearance of Immunoboost, I have updated my recommendations. Give Immunoboost upon arrival and it will cause interferon production within two hours, whereas the modified live vaccine takes until the next day. Then give your modified live virus vaccine on day eight. Repeat your modified live vaccine again after thirty days.
The Immunoboost on day one does a good job of protecting the calf from E coli, rota and corona virus, and salmonella infections for that first week. Many calf raisers are getting along well without feeding antibiotics the first week. (The majority of bacterial pathogens in the gut are resistant to the usual antibiotics anyway.) Immunoboost was licenced based upon the study on colostrum deprived calves. The calves were tubed with a virulent strain of K99 E. coli at six hours of age. At first sign of scours, usually 26 hours of age, Immunoboost was injected. 90% of the Immunoboost calves lived with no further treatments. The calves were fed milk twice a day, but no antibiotics or electrolytes. 100% of the controls (those that did not get Immunoboost) died.
Colostrum deprived calves do not react the same immunologically as those that receive colostrum. The newborn calf has high cortisol levels, from the stress of calving. Immunoboost has proven it can turn on the immune system very effectively despite the presence of high cortisol levels and no colostrum.
Use Immunoboost in your calves and do not vaccinate them between 14 and 30 days of age. Be sure the calf is not deficient in selenium and Vitamin E, or the Immunoboost may not be able to turn the immune system on.
Contact information for ordering information 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