Photo credit: MSD Animal Health
Calf scours are one of the most frustrating problems on-farm to manage. Not only do they result in reduced growth rates and more calf deaths, they also increase the workload of calf rearers and can be disheartening.
There are many infectious causes of scours in calves. The most common one down here in the South, which most farmers will have experienced, is Rotavirus. Another nasty one that can crop up is Cryptosporidium parvum (Crypto), a gastrointestinal parasite that can cause watery diarrhoea, reduced appetite, depression and death in young calves up to four weeks old.
Crypto is highly contagious, spreading from calf to calf or via faecal contamination of the environment. This means that once an outbreak starts, it can spread through a calf shed swiftly.
Excitingly, this year a new vaccine is available to protect against Crypto: Bovilis Cryptium.
This vaccine is designed to be administered in the last trimester of pregnancy, between 12 and 3 weeks pre-calving. For their initial course, cows require two doses, four weeks apart. This is then followed by a booster shot annually.
It works by allowing the cow to develop antibodies against Crypto, which are then passed to calves via the cow’s colostrum. Therefore, great colostrum management is essential for calves to get the full benefit of the vaccine’s protection.
We always advocate that prevention is better than cure, which means:
Reducing disease load in the environment – lowering stocking densities in pens, isolating sick calves, and disinfecting regularly.
Improving calf immunity – ensuring good colostrum quality and quantity, and vaccinating the herd.
Diseases like Crypto can also spread to humans, so it’s important to maintain good hygiene practices around calves.
If you are interested in using this new vaccine this year, please get in touch with your KeyVet for more information.
