vaccines properly refrigerated and replace them once they pass their expiration dates. Buy your vaccines from your veterinarian, who will have been careful to keep them cool. Don’t mix vaccines unless it says specifically on the label that it’s safe to do so.
Most cattle vaccinations are given by intramuscular injection.
Injection Methods
Most vaccines are injected into the muscle. This is called an intramuscular (IM) injection, and it’s the simplest type to give. Use a 2-inch, 16-gauge needle for adult animals and a 1½-inch, 18-gauge needle for calves. Don’t give IM shots in the rump because this tends to make a permanent lesion in some of the most valuable meat.
Give injections in the neck. Slap the animal’s neck a few times, pop the needle in quickly and deeply with a firm stroke, and depress the plunger. The animal will probably jump, so don’t have your arm between him and any sort of bar, where you could get caught and end up with a broken limb. Change needles often because tough hides quickly dull the needles, and a dull needle hurts more and is harder to push in than a sharp one.
A subcutaneous (sub-Q) injection is given just under the skin and is used for many types of medications. Sub-Q injections take two hands and a few seconds longer than IM injections do. Making sure your arms aren’t in a position in which they might get trapped by a plunging cow, grab a pinch of skin between your thumb and forefinger, use your other hand to quickly push the needle lengthwise into the bottom of the fold, and then depress the plunger.
The third type of injection, into a vein (intravenous), is used infrequently and should be done by a veterinarian or someone with experience.
The veterinarian can do all of your vaccinating for you, but most cattle owners learn to do it themselves. I use a handy device that I found at the farm store that’s shaped like a pistol. It contains a big syringe that holds up to ten doses of vaccine. The calibrated trigger delivers exactly the right dose with each injection, and I can vaccinate a whole line of cattle without having to reload the syringe.
When vaccinating, change the needle every two or three animals and always use a new separate needle to draw the vaccine out of the bottle into the syringe so you don’t contaminate the vaccine. Syringes can be reused if you clean them carefully with soap and hot water and dry them thoroughly. Needles can be cleaned, sharpened, and reused, but they’re cheap, and it’s generally easier to replace them.
Finally, set up a little table or some other clean and convenient place with the vaccine bottles, syringes, needles, record book, ear tags, and other equipment you’ll need. Having everything handy and organized but out of the way of the cattle is easier—and safer—than trying to hold the ear-tagger in your teeth while storing the syringe behind your ear.
| Cattle Medical Kit You should have a few basic supplies on hand for treating sick or injured animals. •Balling gun—for getting pills down the throat •Rectal thermometer—tie a long string around it when using; many thermometers have disappeared into cows because of unexpected muscle contractions •Rope halter and stout rope (a couple lengths)—use the halter and rope for holding a head still in the headgate and use just the rope for pulling a calf during a tough delivery •Stomach tube—for administering fluids and medications orally and relieving bloat if you’re a long way from a veterinarian •Suturing needles and thread—for stitching cuts •Syringes and needles—for administering medications •Trocar or sharp knife—for sticking bloated cows •Baking soda—for easing stomach upsets in calves •Epsom salts—for digestive upsets and soaking sore or infected feet •Iodine—for treating wounds and for dipping navels on newborn calves Topical antibiotic—for treating pinkeye and other skin infections You’ll also need a loaded ear-tagger with extra tags and studs, a bottle of nine-way vaccine, a syringe gun, and a notebook and pencil for record keeping. |
Internal Parasites
Many different types of worms like to live inside cattle. The most common parasites are roundworms, lung worms, liver worms, liver flukes, and pinworms. Most cattle owners treat with dewormer medication once or twice a year: either in early spring, before grazing starts; in late fall, after grazing is done for the season; or at both times. For the most effective worm control, discuss with your veterinarian the best time of year to deworm in your area and how to rotate deworming medicines for better results. Worm medicine is widely available at farm-supply stores and from your veterinarian. It is either poured along the back or injected.
Concern has risen about the increased resistance of internal cattle worms to available medications, and some veterinarians are recommending that cattle not be treated unless worms are really causing a problem. Worm infestation levels are calculated by taking a manure sample and examining it under a microscope for worm eggs, something that can be done only by your veterinarian (although you need to collect the sample). It’s easier to first keep a close watch for external signs of a worm problem—weight loss and a dull coat in the summer (lacking the smooth, glossy shine).
Another common internal parasite is cattle grub, the immature stage of heel flies. They live inside cattle until they become adults and then emerge by drilling holes in the hide of their host. Timing of treatment is crucial to controlling cattle grubs and varies by region. Talk with your veterinarian.
Because internal worms are transmitted by eating grass infected with worm eggs from previous manure deposits, it’s possible to reduce worm infestations by managing pasture rotations. Don’t return cattle to a paddock until worm eggs deposited in the manure from their last rotation have had time to mature and die. For specific information on the life cycles of different worm species (which vary somewhat by moisture and temperature), consult your veterinarian or university extension service.
Some level of internal parasites is almost inevitable in pastured cattle, but it’s usually not a problem unless the infestation is affecting a cow’s general health and reducing her resistance to other diseases or slowing weight gain. Gear your treatment to both the nature and the extent of the problem.
External Pests
Several species of flies delight in tormenting cattle. Cows afflicted with horn flies, face flies, heel flies, or stable flies might run around with their tails in the air, trying to get away, or quit grazing and bunch together tightly, even on hot days, trying to reduce the amount of hide exposed to bites. When this happens, it’s time to take action.
If your cattle are tame and you have time, you can spray them daily with a fly repellent made for animals. More economical are medicated ear tags or a repellent-soaked rope or post in the barnyard that the cattle will use for scratching. Inside sheds, hang flypaper or use a light trap or baited trap.
Taking preventive measures to destroy fly-breeding areas will save a lot of money in fly killer. Horn flies lay their eggs in fresh cow pies. If you develop a horn fly problem, try dragging paddocks with a harrow or any sort of homemade drag after grazing to break up the manure pats. Something as simple as an old bedspring behind a car or an ATV (all-terrain vehicle) will work. Stable flies, by contrast, breed best in the mix of old manure and hay that builds up in a ring around round bale feeders. Cleaning up feeding areas in the spring by removing the detritus will nip a lot of stable-fly infestations in the bud. To reduce other flies, in general, keep feeding and watering areas as dry and as free of manure as possible. Any cattle that have considerably more fly problems than the rest of your herd should be considered for culling.
