Calves a Boost


By Gary DiGiuseppe


Protection from mother’s milk and an early


vaccination can get your calves only so far in health.


N 80 The Cattleman August 2013


ot all calves have the same level of disease protection when weaned, says Dr. Mark Spire, D.V.M. That’s why booster vaccines are so important. Spire, who is technical services manager for Merck


Animal Health, says while Mother Nature’s fi rst line of protection of a calf is through its mother’s colostrum,


there can be a fair amount of difference in the levels of antibodies in that fi rst milk. “Colostrum is basically made up of all the antigens or pathogens that


the cow’s been exposed to during her lifetime,” Spire explains. “Then the antibodies will be absorbed into the calf’s gut within about 24 to 48 hours after it’s formed.” There are 2 problems related to inadequate disease protection. One is


only about 90 percent of beef calves get adequate levels of colostrum. Spire says lack of colostrum could be related to a previous case of mastitis in the mother. If the cow is still a heifer or is herself on a poor plane of nu- trition, she could produce inadequate amounts of good quality colostrum. A second factor could lie with the calf, such as a diffi cult birth or cold


thecattlemanmagazine.com


Give


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118