Calf Talk

October, 2004

Volume 10, No.10

“EPIC” IS WORKING

By: Russ Schnepper, D. V. M.

Bioniche’s Epic is making calf raisers happy. Epic is a calf scour product that is produced by injecting hens with 13 different antigens that represent the pathogens involved in calf scours. The hen puts the specific IgY’s into the egg and the eggs are processed into a calf scour product. Epic can be added to milk, milk replacer or water.

My calf raisers and I are most happy about the Epic containing antibodies against Clostridium perfringens. Clostridium perfringens is a normal inhabitant of the calf’s gut. However, when acidosis develops or some other stress causes the Clostridium to overgrow, the Clostridia produces an enterotoxin that poisons the calf. Neither vaccinating the calf with C & D Toxoid nor injecting C & D antitoxin will prevent the problem. I have run many studies, vaccinating calves with the Toxoid or injecting C & D Antitoxin, or both. Neither approach has been beneficial. The problem is, all the antibodies, either injected or produced from vaccinating the calf, are circulating in the calf’s body and are never secreted into the lumen of the intestine. The gut is made to function by having intestinal contents absorbed into the body, not by absorbing products from the body into the intestine. As a result, all our antibodies, either injected or produced from vaccinating the calf, never gets into the lumen of the gut. So the Clostridial organism is safe in the lumen of the gut. The Clostridia multiplies unabated, producing toxins that cause “toxic” calves, abomasal bloat, scours, and death.

I have a heifer raiser that always has trouble with calves originating from one dairy at about day eight. The problem is due to Clostridia. Before Epic, the treatment was oral penicillin and oral C & D Antitoxin followed with lots of fluids. This treatment usually kept the calves alive, but they were set back a couple of weeks. Now with the Epic orally at 20 grams per feeding in the milk twice a day for two to three days, the calf gets over the scours and bloat and continues to eat and progresses without being set back.

Epic contains a human grade charcoal. The charcoal absorbs the toxins produced by the Clostridia and it also coats and protects the lining of the gut. Even though the Epic is a fine black powder and doesn’t look appetizing to me, the calves like it. They do not refuse milk with Epic. Epic contains probiotics and L-Glutamine, to help the intestinal villi heal.

All our feedback on the use of Epic has been positive. No one says it doesn’t work. One comment was the calves sure got better, but it was no miracle as we had to treat for a couple days.

I believe we should use Immunoboost on day one and day eight, and then if a scour develops, treat it with Epic. Selenium and Vitamin E, as well as Deccox for Cryptosporidiosis should remain in the calf program.

We are running an Epic special, with each 4 buckets of Epic you get a free Danish esophageal Calfeeder.

Contact information for ordering information and questions about our products:

Schnepper International, Inc.

3210 County B, Platteville, WI 53818

608-348-6141, Fax: 608-348-6146