VOLAR USE IN A DAIRY HERD WITH FOOTROT

Field Trial Report 93-1

The Fairview Cowplex dairy was in the process of restarting their milking operation and acquiring dairy cattle. Most were young Holstein cows (3 years of age and under).

During the summer of 1992, the dairy herd experienced an outbreak of footroot that involved approximately 30 of the 150 head over a 60-day period. Of the 30, 6 did not respond to treatment and were sold for slaughter with salvage value being very low because of loss of weight and body condition. Most of the infected animals responded poorly to antibacterial therapy, toe blocks and/or bandaging.

Dr. Robert Hertzog, the attending veterinarian for the Fairview Complex, decided to implement a total management approach to the footrot problem in the fall of 1992 which consisted of the following practices:

Trim feet of all animals with abnormal growth or footrot problems.
Use of a formalin footbath as cows exit milking parlor for a two-week period.
Vaccination with Volar(Fusobacterium necrophorum bacterin) per product label instructions.

This total management program virtually eliminated clinical cases of footrot in this herd soon after the second dose of Volar was given.

Other management procedures utilized were:

Herd additions were vaccinated with Volar using a two dose primary immunization regime.
Formalin footbaths were used every 6 months for a two week period.
All animals in herd were boostered with Volar every 6 months to assure maximum immunity.

Before a total management preventative program was begun, milk production was reduced dramatically due to clinical illness and discarding of milk following antibiotic use. No decrease in production or feed consumption was noted following vaccination other than that expected from handling cattle during the vaccination process.

This field trial involved 160 head of cattle-145 were approximately 3 years of age, 15 were yearlings. There were 53 pregnant animals with 26 in the third, 14 in the second and 7 in the first trimester. All of the cows that were in the second and third trimester gave birth to normal calves. The cows in the first trimester were examined by rectal palpation and found safe in calf. These data were submitted to USDA/APHIS as will be future data from another study in progress being monitored by Drs. John Berg and Michael Vaughn: The studies will allow the addition of the statement of “safe” in pregnant dairy and beef cattle on the Volar label.

Most disease conditions need to be approached with a total management control program to obtain the maximum response. Footrot is a complex disease condition with several factors contributing to disease severity in a given herd. Without a planned, well implemented combined approach of foot trimming, footbath usage and a vaccination program, success could be compromised in elimination of clinical footrot.

CONCLUSION:

The use of Volar vaccine along with a total management approach to footrot in this dairy herd was successful in controlling clinical cases of footrot.
Vaccination with Volar had no measurable adverse effect on milk production, especially when compared to production lost with clinical cases of footrot for loss in production and discarding of milk after treatment with antibiotics.
Volar use in this herd had no adverse effect on pregnancy.