29 Sept 2020
Ceva Animal Health launches range of materials for vets to use when explaining risks, causes, prevention, treatment and economic implications of disease.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Image © Jolanta Mayerberg / Adobe Stock
A campaign has been launched urging vets to educate farmers to spot and treat bovine respiratory disease (BRD).
BRD affects 46% of calves before they are nine weeks old, with a study using ultrasound imaging to assess lung damage in young cattle finding lesions can develop as early as 12 days after birth.
BRD is also the most diagnosed cause of death for calves younger than six months old, and when all parameters are taken into account, the total cost of treatment can be as high as £772 per animal.
Ceva Animal health has now launched a range of support materials aimed at vets to use with their farmers on prevention, early detection and treatment of BRD, and the importance of using NSAIDs alongside appropriate antibiotic treatment in impacted calves.
The materials include a series of “CalfEd” Bulletins practices can use to distribute, to provide farmers with up-to-date information, as well as a farmer website, a BRD scoring system for pre-weaned calves and social media posts.
The scoring system was developed by the University of California, Davis (UC Davis).
Gemma Robinson, ruminant veterinary advisor at Ceva Animal Health, said: “BRD remains one of the UK’s most prevalent diseases in dairy calves, which can lead to long-term knock-on effects associated with decreased longevity and production.
“The lifetime total economic cost could amount to more than £700 per dairy heifer. The cost of adding an NSAID into a BRD treatment plan is minimal compared to the long-term economic losses caused by chronic lung consolidation, which is why it’s important that vets promote the benefits of prevention, early detection and early treatment of the disease to their clients.”
Tim Potter, senior clinical director at Westpoint Farm Vets, said: “Rapid disease detection and treatment are key to minimising the long-term impacts of BRD.
“Tools such as the UC Davis BRD scoring system can really help understand disease levels on farm and help the team rapidly identify issues with BRD.”
Ceva manufactures Zeleris, an antibiotic and NSAID combining florfenicol and meloxicam in an injection.
To request the BRD support material, contact a Ceva account manager, telephone 01494 781510 or email [email protected]
