WATCH: Get your Cattle Ready for Summer Grazing


As the Summer months approach, its time to consider protecting your cattle ahead of the grazing period. With that, we have administration videos for some of our products typically used while cattle are at grass. For more information on any of these products, talk to your vet.

Repidose Bolus

The ideal approach to controlling lungworms, gut worms and stomach worms is to use a wormer that allows some exposure to the worm larvae but kills adult worms before they cause clinical signs of disease.

Repidose bolus provides season long protection. The product’s pulse release mechanism strategically releases a dose of oxfendazole into the animal’s system every 21 days. The pulse release system prevents clinical signs of disease by killing worms every 21 days while at the same time enabling the animal to generate immunity to gut worms and lungworm. With 21 weeks cover the bolus is ideally suited to grass-based systems especially replacement heifers.

Repidose is the only bolus on the market for the prevention and treatment of lungworm, stomach worms and gut worms. The bolus is divided into seven individual compartments or chambers. Every three weeks, a therapeutic dose of the anthelmintic oxfendazole is released into the animal’s gut. This kills worms at all stages of development.

How to use Repidose Bolus

  • Target weight at time of administration: 100kg – 400 kg
  • Active ingredient: Oxfendazole
  • 1 bolus per animal
  • Withdrawal periods: Meat & Milk – 7 months. Do not administer to cattle producing milk for human consumption
Full video on the use of Repidose pulse release bolus

Butox Pour On

Mild weather combined with rainfall provides the perfect environment for nuisance flies to multiply. Flies can cause a state of unease in the parlour leading to occasions of flying clusters. Flies can interfere with the grazing routine of cattle and this may cause a reduction in milk and butterfat production. Their impact does not end there, they are all capable of transmitting viruses, bacteria and certain parasites.

Butox PO administration video

How to use Butox Pour-On

  • Indicated for the control of flies and lice in cattle.
  • Active ingredient: Deltramethrin
  • Withdrawal periods: Meat – 18 days. Milk – 12 hours. In dairy herds, we advise to administer after evening milking.
  • Pour the dose along the animal’s spine from the base of the head to the tail.
  • The person applying should wear gloves.
  • For fly control, a single application provides protection for 6 to 10 weeks (depending on the infestation, fly species and weather). If flies remain an issue thereafter, it is advised to repeat the application.
Butox PO dose rates for cattle
For more information on any of the above products, contact your vet

Watch: Tullamore Farm Series – Sheep

Held last month, the Tullamore Farm Virtual Series featured MSD’s veterinary advisor, Sarah Campbell, who spoke with the Irish Farmers Journal’s Darren Carty, covering a range of animal health issues facing sheep farmers.

Clostridial disease

On the night, Sarah highlighted the importance of vaccination against clostridial diseases. This is particularly important given that clostridial bacteria are a common cause of death in both lambs and sheep.

Clostridial infections of sheep and cattle are caused by a group of bacteria that exist in soil, on fields, within buildings and even in the tissues and intestines of cattle and sheep.

However, protection can be achieved by using a broad-spectrum vaccine to provide animals with the necessary antibodies to combat all the strains of clostridia.

Tribovax 10 is a low dose clostridial vaccine offering cattle and sheep producers the broadest available protection against clostridial bacteria.

Orf

Touching on the topic of Orf, Sarah advising sheep farmers to use preventative control measures against Orf, including the vaccination of the flock with Scabivax® Forte to reduce the risk of contracting the virus.

Abortion

If farmers are having issues with abortion in their sheep, Sarah recommended that farmers get a diagnosis through submitting the foetus and placenta to a lab for analysis. If this is not possible, blood samples can be taken by a vet.

Toxoplasma gondii is the most commonly diagnosed cause of ovine abortion in Ireland and in the most recently published report, was diagnosed in 26% of samples submitted to the regional veterinary laboratories. 

Chlamydophila abortus is the second most common cause. Other less frequently diagnosed causes include leptospirosis, campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis and listeriosis.

Once a diagnosis has been confirmed, a control strategy can be planned. This will often involve vaccination against either toxoplasmosis, enzootic abortion (EAE) or both. 

For further information on any of the products discussed in this video contact your veterinary advisor or check out the Bovilis website for further product information.