Sometimes there are new products that have a definite place in cattle production, or we find easier ways to do things. Products are changed due to developing resistance or the need for alternatives. It’s a global market, and Canada can occasionally find itself on the outside looking in. Regulatory changes can make our lives more complicated as more paperwork is introduced, and sometimes the speed of commerce slows down.

In this column, I am going to provide a variety of tips that can work on western Canadian cow-calf operations, both commercial and purebred.

Stomach ulcers are blamed on a number of factors, but research by Dr. Murray Jelinski has found they always happen in the transition from milk to grass consumption at around six weeks, resulting in a one per cent death loss. Some producers are creeping calves with very soft palatable grass hay and access to their own minerals to decrease incidence.

Clostridial vaccination is a possible prevention method, but whether it is or isn’t, the vaccine is a core one for young calves.

Speaking of clostridial vaccination, a new broader-spectrum product has just come on the market. It is called Covexin 10 but includes clostridium perfringens A. This is pretty rare in beef cattle and is seen more in mature dairy cows, but I talked to a purebred producer who had it diagnosed in younger calves that were dying. Discuss it with your herd veterinarian because, like all vaccines that have tetanus, it does not include histophilus somnus.

Vaccination tips

The latest information released by the Beef Canada Research Council is worth looking at. It’s a review of proper vaccinating techniques, which is always nice to have, not only for new employees or producers but also for those who have been in the business for a long time because over time, we can develop bad habits.

Producers pay good money for vaccines, so it’s important to look after them and take a little more time and thought to administer them properly. Vaccination is still a huge part of a producer’s biosecurity program, so keep abreast of new developments.

The BCRC put out information on core vaccines necessary in the cattle industry, and I would say pretty much all veterinarians would agree with 80 to 90 per cent of it.

Histophilus somnus should be considered a core vaccine because it is added to a lot of clostridial vaccines, and I remember when we saw the brainers and heart forms of it in our calves, especially in feedlots post-weaning. If we do see it now, it’s because there is a lack of a booster shot at the proper time.

Work in progress

We sometimes need to pat ourselves on the back for how far the industry has progressed in the last two to three decades. We’re seeing fewer navel infection and joint issues in young calves as a result of improving colostral consumption and hygiene. And we’re seeing far fewer calving issues because of proper selection for birth weight and body type in our herd sires.

Almost no dehorning is necessary now due to polled genetics, and cancer eye has a super low incidence because of dark pigment in almost all the breeds. Even Charolais animals have a darker pigment, resulting in a super low incidence. We used to perform a lot of surgeries for this condition at our clinic because of the complete white faces, and now they are a rarity.

We now try not to over-treat lameness because we know that non-steroidal anti-inflamatory drugs (NSAIDs), in a lot of cases, are a better choice. In bad cases, we can get a diagnosis before treatment. Each case is different and may simply require convalescence, trimming, surgery or, if something is incurable, shipping.

I used to do a lot of claw amputations. They are easy to recognize and worth doing, depending on the value of the animal and stage of pregnancy. It might even make sense in feeder animals. The success rate is very high.

Some feedlots have trimming tilt tables because they have recognized the recovery success rate and the growth potential, not to mention the animal welfare implications. If this service is required, look for clinics that will do it. The procedure is preferably done on a tilt table, but occasionally they can be done in a squeeze chute with good access, depending on which claw is involved. Your veterinarian will tell you their comfort level.

Record high cattle prices are helping speed up the decision to ship or treat as producers weigh the prognosis for success based on past experience. Both producers and veterinarians are more engaged now on the animal welfare side of livestock production. Again, treatment often involves NSAIDs.

A multitude of options are on the market, and veterinarians have their preferences as to which ones they want to use in each situation. Any NSAID is likely better than no NSAID in almost all situations, but producers must pay attention to withdrawal times.

We are fortunate in Canada that in most places, winter frosts and frozen yards and fields prevent transmission of lots of problems, eliminating the need for year-round treatment for internal and external parasites. This slows the development of resistance. But we still need to be cognizant of this and not over-treat. Treat for flies only when they reach the economic threshold. One life cycle in the summer may likely do it for most climates.

Foot-and-mouth disease and bovine tuberculosis have received a lot of attention lately because of recent outbreaks. Prevention needs to focus on border security, and our cattle organizations need to continually lobby the federal government on this.

I have great faith in our canine friends and the work they do, not only in drug detection but also with all citrus fruit, plants and meat. They are specialists and get lots done.

I am not a trained epidemiologist, but it appears that a new strain of bovine TB has been found in these last few outbreaks that hadn’t been detected before and isn’t found in surrounding herds, trace-outs, trace-ins or wildlife. Where is it coming from? We have one of the best surveillance systems in place during slaughter, which is how we find these cases in the first place. I also realize the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s handling of reportable diseases is always under scrutiny from our trading partners.

My last couple of points involve equipment.

When buying applicator guns, look for ones that can be used on different products. Clean them out and maintain them like you do your vaccine guns. All things will wear out, so parts should be replaced often.

Chutes and pens

For those just starting out in the cattle business, chutes, alley systems, maternity pens and calf chutes are available at auction.

Any squeeze chute or maternity pen is better than nothing because they will help you treat your animals appropriately and on time. Some may need a bit of repair, but I see chutes that are 50 years old or older that are still functioning well if maintained. This will make your life easier while maximizing animal welfare and minimizing injuries when handling.

Equipment can be upgraded as your herd grows, and herds larger than 200 head warrant a hydraulic chute. Expanding producers will seldom sell older chutes because they will be moved to a pasture to be used out there.

I hope that at least a couple of these points will resonate with you.

As well, if you ever feel a health area should be covered in these columns, plant the seed with one of the veterinary writers. Your idea or question will likely help others.

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These days all antimicrobials, NSAIDs and a few other products are prescription products and most come under the VCPR (veterinary-client-patient relationship). The two products in this case have already been on the market for years, but now, with no advertising on these prescription drugs, the huge teaching burden falls on the veterinary profession.

Sometimes your veterinarian is too busy or not familiar enough with the products or may not deal that much with the actual pharmaceutical company that manufactures them.

Producers can educate themselves on new emerging products that enter the marketplace, as they may benefit your operation or management style. You all need to realize any new and old products before them have passed rigorous testing and even though they may be generics (lookalikes), they have passed the same testing as the original product.

If you find the name of a product, veterinarians can find it on the Veterinary Compendium, where it will have the label described. Understanding how other producers use and their veterinarians prescribe a medication is great information, but make sure to get accurate information and not just hearsay.

Two similar products are Resflor and Zeleris. Both these products contain florphenicol, which has a good effect on respiratory pathogens. The products also contain an NSAID, giving anti-inflammatory or pain control as well. The antibiotic is the same and both trade names are used for pneumonia as prescribed by veterinarians.

There are other conditions where they are the top choice, but your veterinarian can advise you as to what product for what condition. Florphenicol is a Category 3 antibiotic, so we want to use it on cattle as a first choice, as there is little crossover in human medicine.

These two products have slight differences. When similar products are launched, the new soft, subtle, potentially convenient things are what may excite the vet and/or producer.

Zeleris has three features worth considering. It comes in a plastic bottle, it has a lower dose than Resflor and it is more syringeable.

There are great plastics out there these days and I hope the regulatory people will approve more and more antimicrobials in plastic bottles. This makes sense from a wastage, breakage and recycling perspective. From breakage during shipping to needing protective plastic shrouds around them, there is much more cost and wastage with glass. Plastic is the best new way to go as it is user-friendly. I know of several antimicrobials in plastic bottles, so I see no reason why all can’t be.

A lower dose adds convenience but the product Resflor, despite being six c.c. per 100 pounds, was used extensively because the efficacy was so darn good. If efficacy is excellent, a lot of inconvenience can be tolerated. Zeleris is a bit lower at 4.5 c.c. per 100 lbs., for a slight convenience on administration.

Syringeability only really comes up in colder weather, and I know the company that makes Resflor provides bottle warmers to try and keep the product as syringeable as possible.

Despite the high dosage of either product, there’s rarely an event with swelling. That’s why one needs to try these products to see the degree of swelling and make your judgment. I found it interesting that on the label of Zeleris, the amount in one site is 15 c.c. and virtually everything else is at 10 c.c. I believe this company went ahead and did the testing to get the 15 c.c. on the label. That is admirable.

For another advantage, the florphenicol molecule shows very little resistance and it is a safe Category 3 antimicrobial. That’s very good news for cattlemen — not to mention that two separate companies make these very similar products. Two similar products will tend to erode the price, and, in many ways, they can be used interchangeably — but check with your veterinarian first, and remember the dosage difference.

I have experience using both products and you will appear to get a quicker response with the Resflor because the banamine lowers temperature quickly. I see no difference in the recovery of sick calves and getting them back onto feed. 

All florphenicol products have longer withdrawals and Zeleris is no different, with a 56-day withdrawal; Resflor has a 60-day withdrawal.

The good news is these drugs are used in calves on cow-calf enterprises and feedlot cattle shortly after entry. With the long withdrawal, it’s best to keep away from use on heavy feedlot cattle.

We need multiple pharma companies to keep markets competitive and innovative. Amazingly, features like a plastic bottle or ease of administration can be important decisions in which product we choose, both as veterinarians and producers.

Always remember, availability may have you moving between products — but practice prudent use with your veterinarian. The first decision is whether antibiotics are needed or not.

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If your veterinarian prescribes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for pain, he or she may choose one based on label claim, experience in the field, price per treatment, duration of activity, ease of administration, advice of associates or slaughter withdrawal.

There are lots of things to consider, but hopefully, this article and discussion with your veterinarian will make the decision that much easier in the future when NSAIDs are considered.

For years the clinic with which I was associated would give calves flunixine IV after hard calvings, thinking swelling and soreness on the legs and potentially ribs were greatly reduced, and I believe they were.

NSAIDs were given routinely to calves on IV fluids for scours. As long as they were rehydrated, it’s now proven that appetite is increased.

With calving season approaching, let’s talk about the cow. After calving there should be less obturator paralysis and quicker recovery from vaginal bruising and abrasions.

Appetite is not lost, so milk production is maintained. If one follows the beef code of practice, NSAIDs should be used at the time of delivery, when major surgical procedures such as C-sections occur. Actually, just at the beginning of surgery is the accepted practice.

I know from experience the recovery from C-sections is much more rapid and they don’t spend the first day moping around. I have used injectable products, oral meloxicam and now the Banamine TD, all with great success. The latter two have a greater ease of administration, which makes them both desirable around calving cows and necessary to have around.

You are very unlikely to see any trials on weight gains or the economics of painkillers. In the short term, the companies want to prove it takes a decent percentage of the pain away in different scenarios. The cattle will all do better initially as that makes common sense and health outcomes are likely improved long-term.

There usually will be compensatory gain once the animal recovers, so if we follow these cattle to slaughter there will be little difference. The issue is, all these painkillers have been proven to take various types of pain away and it simply is the right thing to do without hesitation in my opinion.

Ask your veterinarian, as all are prescription drugs. Humans can get most painkillers over the counter and perhaps painkillers will head that way in the future.

With calving, one needs to have your parameters based on a hard, medium or light pull. A light calving means being able to pull by hand with no other assistance. Medium or hard stages are when a calf puller is applied.

One also knows pulling with the cow’s contractions, going slow and methodical and applying lots of lubricant can avert a tough calving. Recognize the type of skill level you have and treat accordingly. Was there a tear created, did you pull too fast, was the calf slow to get breathing, did you hear any unusual pops or snaps indicating tension?

All these are clues the pull may have been too hard. From better milking to increasing appetite quicker, to mothering up and potentially being quicker to rebreed are all possibilities with which NSAIDs can help when given to cows after a moderate to hard pull.

A lot of producers now have painkillers prescribed for the season and have them close to the chute so they can easily be given.

The other bucket of pain we deal with is lameness in all areas of cattle production, but many cases are prevalent in the feedlot.

It is the second-most often treated clinical symptom at the feedlot, with the first being pneumonia. The newest NSAID on the market, Banamine TD (a transdermal pour-on), even has lameness caused by footrot on the label.

With the use of pressure-bearing plates, you can prove the product took a good percentage of the pain away as the lameness greatly subsides after treatment.

At the feedlot or in other areas of cattle production, it’s most important to get the lameness diagnosis correct.

This may involve lifting the foot and having a look. Most times antimicrobials can be avoided, but on almost all occasions NSAIDs will be used. Again, the beef code of practice and the public perception we have has justified what we do.

There may be times when a sprain or strain is left to convalesce on its own but that would be rare. The NSAIDs pretty much all have slaughter withdrawals, so that needs to be a consideration when used in heavy feedlot cattle.

Feedlot cattle sprains and strains, foot rot, interdigital dermatitis, sole ulcers or toe tip necrosis, arthritis, septic arthritis and broken legs are within the wide variety of types of lameness producers see.

Broken legs usually indicate emergency slaughter, yet all the rest may require NSAIDs. The footrot would require antimicrobials, yet many of the rest would not require systemic antimicrobials.

A large number of bigger feedlots still use a lot of dexamethasone because it is low withdrawal for slaughter, cheap, and potent as an anti-inflammatory, but no work has been done on the painkiller aspect.

There is also the question that steroids have an immunosuppressive effect, so in many ways, NSAIDs may be the safer proven alternative. There are additional uses for steroids at the feedlot, such as certain pneumonias aborting heifers, and today most veterinarians will have a solid opinion on which side they stand regarding steroidal usage in feedlots, especially regarding lameness.

Most of the NSAIDs last a couple of days, so only in advanced lameness cases would retreatment be considered.

Many other conditions in the feedlot may require NSAIDs as primary or ancillary treatment, depending on the feedlot veterinarian’s protocol. Buller cattle, calving difficulties, severe rectal prolapses, surgeries such as perineal urethrostomies, and exploratory surgery also would require NSAIDs on a case-by-case basis.

Common procedures such as dehorning and castrations have been talked about in other articles and there is no question cattle recover quicker and, I am sure, have fewer health outcomes with the use of NSAIDs. That goes for branding, too.

Any increase in weight gain will be negated as compensatory gain later in the feeding period, but pain control is simply the right thing to do when appropriate. Your veterinarian can help decide when it is necessary and what products to use when. They will, in some cases, help cut down the need for antimicrobials. NSAIDs are here to stay in cattle production and cattle are much better for it.

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