Vaccine Programs and Disease Prevention in Beef Cattle Operations
A healthy herd can bring producers one step closer to a profitable beef cattle operation. A key aspect of herd health is managing disease prevention, specifically creating a vaccine schedule.
Disease prevention is something that many do not think about until they experience loss, but investing in disease prevention is much more cost effective than investing in disease treatment with vaccine health programs ranging from $3 to $10 per cow-calf unit.
The average rectal temperature of cattle is 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit with a heart rate of 60 to 70 beats per minute and a respiratory rate of 30 breaths per minute. They also have an estrous cycle–period where a cow is receptive to mating–that lasts 18 to 23 days and a 285-day gestation period. The purpose of these vaccines is to keep bodily functions such as these at their normal rate and function.
There are various vaccines that are recommended annually for cows and bulls. The Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) vaccine, the Parainfluenza 3 (PI3) vaccine and the Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (BRSV) vaccine all help to prevent various respiratory diseases. The Leptospirosis (5-Way) vaccine and the Vibriosis vaccine both prevent bacterial diseases that can cause infertility, abortions and stillbirths in cattle. The Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) vaccine is for protection against a disease caused by the Bovine Diarrhea Virus (BVDV).
There are also vaccines that are recommended to give calves prior to the weaning process, including the Blackleg 7-Way vaccine, the IBR-BVD-PI3 vaccine and the Leptospirosis vaccine. The Brucellosis vaccine is also recommended for heifers between 4 to 12 months of age.
Heifers also require the IBR vaccine, the BVD-PI3 vaccine, the BRSV vaccine, the Vibriosis vaccine and the Leptospirosis vaccine prior to breeding.
While there are varying disease programs depending on the type of operation and location, this is a basic vaccine regimen that can be applied to almost any cattle herd. Vaccination programs should always be customized for each operation and local veterinarians will be able to determine a more exact program for each specific herd.
More information regarding vaccination schedules can be found in this fact sheet from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Research and Extension: https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/pdf/FSA-3009.pdf
