Calf Talk

July, 2004

Volume 10, No. 7

USE ENDOVAC-BOVI IN YOUR CALF PROGRAM

By: Russ Schnepper, D. V. M.

Endovac-bovi is a vaccine that causes the immune system to make antibodies against Gram Negative endotoxins. It does not produce antibodies against the individual bacteria, but rather against the damaging endotoxins the bacteria produce. The endotoxins include those of the E. coli, Salmonella, Pasteurella, and Moraxella bovis organisms. Moraxella bovis is the main bacterium involved in Pink Eye. The human version of the vaccine is used on burn victims to protect against the toxins produced by the bacterial contaminates of the burn lesions. Thousands of doses of Endovac were sold to the US military prior to Desert Storm.

The bottle dose is 2-ml, for an adult cow. One ml is the usual dose used for a calf. As little as a ½-ml dose of Endovac bovi will give a good immune response in the baby calf. But many people can’t seem to handle that small a dose, so they inject 1-ml instead. A 2-ml dose is too much and produces a noticeable stress on the calf. Never inject another dose of Endovac bovi sooner than seven days after a previous dose. If you do, the calf’s immune system thinks it is still the first dose and we do not get the boostering effect we want.

I have always used Endovac-bovi for E. coli, Salmonella, and Pink Eye, but not for pneumonia. It appears I was not giving enough doses to be effective on the Pasteurella. Dr. Don Gardner, former president of the Professional Dairy Heifer Growers Association, from Virginia, has been telling me Endovac does a good job of protecting against the damage from Pasteurella. Dr. Gardner’s program is to give the calf an injection of 1 ml Endovac each week for four injections. He also treats chronic calves (slow doers) with 1 ml of Endovac every two weeks for four treatments. He says it usually gets them back in gear.

There are veal barns that do not have the best ventilation, and have more respiratory problems than they should, that could benefit from giving four 1-ml injections of Endovac, each a week apart.

I have used Endovac bovi for pink eye vaccination for many years, and I usually had better results than when I used regular pink eye vaccine. One reason for the success is the main damage to the eye is produced by the toxins the Moraxella bovis bacteria produce. The Endovac protects against these toxins. This is the same principle with the Pasteurella pneumonia. The toxins, which are produced by the Pasteurella infection, are what destroys the lung.

Endovac bovi is used in the adult dairy cow to protect against the toxins produced by E. coli and other Coliform mastitis organisms. Many dairymen use Endovac bovi instead of J-Vac or J-5. They are all used for the same purpose in the dairy cow.

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