Calf Talk

February, 2006

Volume 12, No. 2

Our Experience with Draxxin

By: Russ Schnepper, D. V. M.

Draxxin is Pfizer’s new single-dose antibacterial, tulathromycin. It is given subcutaneously in beef and non-lactating dairy cattle. It can be used in veal off label, and in swine. The withdrawal in cattle is 18 days. I use 36 days for veal. I would not give anything except Naxcel to a veal calf withing a month of slaughter, as you may have trim loss at the injection site.

Draxxin is labeled for treatment of respiratory disease caused by Mannheimia haemolytica (this is a new name - the old name was Pasteurella haemolytica), Pasteurella multocida, and Haemophilus somnus (which has a new name - Histophilus somni). I have not seen the effectiveness on Mycoplasma as some claim.

A single subcutaneous dose of Draxxin will produce an antibiotic level in the animal for up to 15 days. This makes it very appealing to the producer, to be able to give one injection upon arrival at a facility and the antibiotic last for 15 days. Draxxin goes through a needle very easily and the product is stable at room temperatures for 36 months.

The dosage is 1.1 mL/100 pounds of body weight in cattle. The dose for swine is a single injection of 0.25mL/22 pounds body weight, or 1 mL/90 pounds, intramuscularly in the neck.

The small, 1.1 mL/100 pounds of body weight is a huge advantage of this product when it comes to treating 1000 pound steers.

Draxxin is a new antibiotic being marketed by Pfizer, who is one of the world’s best marketers. I have been slow to get on board with Draxxin, as I wanted to know what my good clients felt about Draxxin before I recommended it. Now with the very positive feedback we have had, I am ready to promote Draxxin to my clients. Initially the high price of $319.89 for a 100 mL bottle scared some clients away. (And a big problem was those who liked to drop the bottle on concrete.) But on a per 100 pounds basis it only cost $3.52 to treat an animal for 15 days of therapy from one injection. Whereas all the other antibiotics, which have to be given multiple times to produce 15 days of therapy, cost close to the same. The big advantage is the lack of daily handling of the animal. I have always said the biggest problem in treating sick cattle is the stress that is produced. I feel that some regimens of daily handling of sick cattle cause more problems than the benefits derived from the treatment. Pulling feedlot cattle out of the pen and then having to reestablish the peck order is quite stressful. So if the animal can be treated early and immediately returned to the original group the stress of establishing the peck order is avoided.

There is no human warning for accidental injections of Draxxin.

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