Before spring turnout, your cattle need to be appropriately vaccinated and dewormed. Numerous vaccines and dewormers are available, and choosing the most effective products for your cattle can be overwhelming. To help ensure your herd is protected, read our Church’s Mobile Veterinary Services team’s recommendations for vaccines and dewormers.

Modified live versus killed vaccines for your cattle herd

An effective vaccine protocol is a key component of all herd health programs. To help your herd fight disease, you should understand the various vaccine types to make an informed decision about the products you incorporate into your plan. The two main vaccine types are modified live virus (MLV) vaccines and killed vaccines. Each has advantages and disadvantages.

Modified live virus vaccines for your cattle herd

MLV vaccines contain an attenuated (i.e., weakened) live virus. The virus has been altered to prevent disease, but the vaccine should closely mimic true infection. Once the vaccine is administered, the virus replicates in the animal’s system, causing an immune response. MLV vaccines have the following advantages and disadvantages:

  • Advantages — MLV vaccine advantages include:
    • One dose is often sufficient for protection. However, boosting the initial dose per manufacturer instruction is the gold standard practice.  
    • MLV vaccines typically elicit a quicker, stronger, and longer-lasting immune response than killed vaccines.
    • MLV vaccines tend to be less costly than killed vaccines.
  • Disadvantages — MLV vaccine disadvantages include:
    • If not used per label instructions, pregnant cows may abort.
    • Most MLV vaccines must be reconstituted. The viral component is lyophilized (i.e., freeze-dried) to preserve potency, and must be mixed with the approved diluent from a second vial. 
    • MLV vaccines require diligence to ensure proper handling and storage. They should be kept cold and out of the sunlight.
    • Once reconstituted, MLV vaccines must be used within an hour. Any unused vaccine should be discarded after this time, even if the product has been refrigerated.

Killed vaccines for your cattle herd

Killed vaccines contain an inactivated antigen that cannot replicate in an animal’s system. To stimulate a proper immune response, adjuvants (i.e., additional compounds), such as saponins or oils, must be included in the vaccine. Killed vaccines have the following advantages and disadvantages:

  • Advantages — Killed vaccine advantages include:
    • The pathogen has little risk of reverting to virulence.
    • Pregnant and immunocompromised animals tolerate killed vaccines well.
    • Because they have a stable shelf life, killed vaccines don’t require reconstitution.
  • Disadvantages — Killed vaccine disadvantages include:
    • Because the killed virus doesn’t replicate in an animal’s body, a booster dose is required, and you have to handle the cattle a second time.
    • An animal’s immune response is slower after a killed vaccine is administered than after MLV vaccine inoculation.
    • Broad-spectrum immune response is typically lower than with some MLV disease strains.
    • Allergic reactions are more common than with the MLV vaccine.

Building a vaccine protocol for your cattle herd

When building a vaccine protocol, you can incorporate MLV vaccines and killed vaccines. Finding the right products for your herd can be challenging because many factors are involved. To help ensure your cattle herd has effective disease protection, follow these tips:

  • Consult a veterinarian — Your veterinarian can alert you to the diseases that are prevalent and economically significant in your area. 
  • Create a herd-health spreadsheet — To ensure your cattle herd receives effective protection, create a spreadsheet that helps you track vaccinated animals and the product with which they were inoculated before they face potential health risks.
  • Stay on label — Ensure vaccines are administered appropriately to help prevent health complications.
  • Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) – Review this valuable resource to aid in improving your overall herd health practices. 

Specific vaccine recommendations for your cattle herd

Specific vaccines help prevent your cattle herd from contracting life-threatening diseases. Our Church’s Mobile Veterinary Service team recommends these vaccines, which can be variable among herds:

  • Bovi-Shield GOLD® FP® 5 VL5 — This Zoetis MLV vaccine provides protection against bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) types 1 and 2, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus, campylobacteriosis, and five leptospirosis serovars. If transitioning to this vaccine, open cows should be vaccinated, and the product label states that a booster is needed after three weeks to achieve initial protection. If you have already administered this vaccine to your cows, you can vaccinate them at any time, with no infertility or abortion concerns. Cows must be boosted annually.
  • Express® FP 5-VL5 — This Boehringer Ingelheim MLV vaccine provides the same coverage as Bovi-Shield GOLD® FP® 5 VL5. If transitioning to this vaccine, open cows should be vaccinated, and the label states that a booster is needed after three weeks to achieve initial protection. If you have already administered this vaccine to your cows, you can vaccinate them at any time, with no infertility or abortion concerns. Cows must be boosted annually.
  • CattleMaster® — This Zoetis MLV vaccine provides protection against IBR, BVD, parainfluenza 3, and respiratory syncytial virus. The product also contains a killed vaccine against BVD. CattleMaster® can be administered at any time, with no abortion concern.
  • Vira Shield® — This Elanco killed vaccine provides protection against 13 respiratory, reproductive, and leptospirosis diseases. You can administer this vaccine at any time, but you must ensure your cattle receive a booster after three weeks to achieve long-term protection.
  • Bovilis® Vision® 8 Somnus with SPUR® — Many eight-way vaccines are available, but this Merck product provides protection against an additional respiratory disease, and the dose per head is 2 cc, rather than the 5-cc dose other products require.

Dewormer recommendations for your cattle herd

In the spring, we recommend using an injectable dewormer, such as Dectomax® (i.e., doramectin) or Cydectin® (i.e., moxidectin). These products eliminate problematic intestinal parasites and remove residual topical parasites, such as mites, lice, and ticks, commonly present after the winter months.

If you need advice building your herd’s vaccine protocol, contact our Church’s Mobile Veterinary Service team, so we can ensure they are protected before spring turnout.