Livestock Management RANCHING
cally important. How long could you expect a vaccine to provide excellent protection? One shot of a vaccine typically doesn’t last for life. Among the vaccines that may have to be applied more frequently to as- sure protection is the one for BRSV. BRSV is typically a component of
5-way viral vaccines. It is available in intranasal form, which in some herds is applied within the calf’s fi rst 2 weeks of life. When applied that young, al-
though it functions as it should in stimulating the animal’s immune system, the BRSV vaccine’s dura- tion of immunity is not very long. Spire says research shows it will
provide solid protection for about 2 months but is not as effective after that, so a booster would be appro- priate soon after that time, which requires re-working the calves — something that may not be practical in most ranching situations. Veterinarians and biological
manufacturers are discovering in- tranasal administration can be an effective tool in delivering vaccines. The animal receives more of the vaccine, more effectively, than it can get via injection. Spire says while we have used
injected vaccines for years and they get the job done, injectable vac- cines have really been designed for the convenience of the applicator and not for greatest effi cient use in cattle. We know of several ways to deliver vaccine that stimulate the immune system better and have fewer side effects than parenter- ally injected products. Intranasal delivery is one of them. Beef Quality Assurance (BQA)
programs call for injections in the animal’s neck to avoid blemishes, but Spire says that leads to less ef- fi cient transfer within the animal’s body compared to intranasal vac-
58 The Cattleman May 2014
cines. The antigens in the vaccine are carried by the body to a lymph node to start the immunity building process, he explains, and “there’s 1 primary processing lymph node on either side of the neck. In the nose area, there are 12 of them, plus a number of small areas where these antigens can get processed.”
Intranasal? To minimize side effects when
applying multiple injectable vac- cines, particularly those that are going to cause irritation or swell- ing, Spire says he’ll use both sides of the animal’s neck — viruses on one side, bacterial vaccines on the other. But he sees the market moving
toward intranasal delivery. “[Intra- nasal delivery] handles the BQA is- sue well,” he says. “It handles well any side effects that vaccines might cause, particularly bacterial vac- cines, and it also puts that particu- lar vaccine where Mother Nature designed it to come into a cow. On any given day, cows are exposed through the nose and mouth to well over 1,000 antigens. The body’s set up to screen those antigens to differentiate true pathogens. Since the components of vaccines are rec- ognized by the body as pathogens (they have been modifi ed by the manufacturer to not cause disease), placing them into the nose by intra- nasal vaccination really places them in a location set up to handle them.” These are times of record prices
paid for calves and cattle, but Spire says a sound vaccination program pays off in both good times and bad. If you’re relinquishing the calves they’ll perform better for the next owner, and that will enhance your reputation. If you’re going to retain ownership, early use of vaccines will reduce health issues, so you’ll
see a direct benefi t to your own bottom line. On the other hand, he says, “If
you don’t do anything to calves — you rip them off the cow at weaning time, you take them to town and you sell them — then you’re going to get your inputs back. You’ve got zero invested and you’re going to get zero return from them beyond how many pounds you’re selling that day and what somebody is willing to pay for them that day.” A good calf vaccination program
fi ts well into many branded beef programs available today, with many certified programs being managed by local sale barns. These types of programs offer
rewards for producers who are wanting to achieve the most with their calves, and Spire says the premiums are rising with the cattle market. He says, “Premiums through
managed sales have moved from what we typically would think would be the $5 to $8 per hun- dred pounds (cwt.) range. Now, we’re seeing them in $15 to $20/ cwt. range.” But the producer has to seek
out those marketing channels and can’t just deliver a set of calves to the sale barn and announce to all potential buyers that they’ve been vaccinated. The benefi ts come from moving them through a value-added chain or a direct sale to a buyer seeking documentation. “When calves have been prop-
erly immunized on the cow and then again at weaning time, when they get to the feedyard those cat- tle will show fewer health effects and a more positive carcass qual- ity and growth characteristics,” he says. “The industry recognizes it. So, there’s a benefi t to good health throughout life.”
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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