Are Your Calves Protected Against Respiratory Disease?

Zoetis veterinarians see the short- and long-term damage respiratory diseases, such as pneumonia, can do to a cow/calf operation. They’ve conducted extensive field and laboratory research to identify the exact damages, even hidden costs such as lost feed efficiency and increased labor expenses. Their advice is simple: Follow a recommended program of vaccinations.

The most common cause of death in calves before weaning is respiratory disease.¹ Are your calves protected against respiratory disease challenges?

Once a calf becomes infected with respiratory disease, the damage is done, and the impact from disease will follow the animal into the next stage of production. For producers, it is important to understand the financial impact of young calf respiratory disease

Watch this short video to learn more about giving your calves a healthy start.

“When we think about respiratory disease in calves, we often forget about the [financial] impact other than just the antibiotic treatment,” said Mark Alley, DVM, veterinarian with Beef Technical Services at Zoetis.

3 hidden costs of calf respiratory disease:

• Reduced calf weaning weights by up to 35 pounds²
• Lost feed efficiency while nursing, as well as in the next production stage
• Incurred labor costs to treat and re-treat calves

Used concurrently, Inforce 3^® and One Shot^® BVD work quickly to combat harmful bovine respiratory disease (BRD) pathogens and give calves a healthy start by providing a rapid and complete immune response.

For Laurie Johnson, a cow/calf producer in northeastern South Dakota, getting ahead of the problem with a successful vaccination program is their key to success.

“We don’t really have a lot of health challenges because we’re upfront and we’re preventing them,” Johnson said. “We’re pretty particular about our vaccine program and we work really hard to make sure we don’t have any health issues we have to treat.”

Work with your veterinarian to develop the best program to help reduce respiratory challenges. For more information, visit CompleteCalfProtection.com.

About Zoetis

Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS) is the leading animal health company, dedicated to supporting its customers and their businesses. Building on more than 60 years of experience
in animal health, Zoetis discovers, develops, manufactures and markets veterinary vaccines and medicines, complemented by diagnostic products, genetic tests, biodevices and a range of services. Zoetis serves veterinarians, livestock producers and people who raise and care for farm and companion animals with sales of its products in more than 100 countries. In 2017, the company generated annual revenue of $5.3 billion with approximately 9,000 employees. For more information, visit www.zoetisUS.com.

References:
_{¹ APHIS. Mortality of calves and cattle on U.S. Beef Cow Calf Operations. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture; 2010
² Stokka GL. Prevention of respiratory disease in cow calf operations. Vet Clin North AM Food Anim Pract. 2010; 26 (2): 229-241}

Sponsored by Zoetis