Dec2013_UQ Vet News
December has arrived! Not that we can be mistaken, with the supermarkets filled with ‘Christmas cheer’ and the children getting excited about completing another year of school.
We extend our congratulations to our final year UQ Veterinary students, who have just completed their last exam (with flying colours!) and are getting ready to don their graduation attire, spread their wings and become vets in practice.
Christmas treats: Much of what we enjoy for Christmas can be really bad news for our pets. Chocolate, macadamia nuts, avocado, grapes/raisins, onion (including in tasty stuffing!) can all poison dogs (and cats if they deign to eat them). Ham and other food that contains salts and fats are REALLY tasty for us but can also make pets sick. So keep all the tasty stuff for yourself!
The clinic will be shut from the 25th December till the 2nd January but we do have a vet on call throughout this period. In the event of an emergency ring the clinic and follow the prompts to be put through to the vet on call.
Cattle vaccinations: In October and November we discussed tick fever and bovine ephemeral fever (BEF or 3 Day) and the vaccination options for these two diseases.
Today we take a look at the common 5-in-1 or 7-in-1 vaccines and what these vaccines cover. The 5 or 7-in-1 are the recommended basic vaccination all cattle should receive. The initial vaccine course is two injections four weeks apart, no matter the age of the animal. Calves should be vaccinated at 6 weeks of age, but if you get them later or miss this stage, start as soon as possible. After the booster (after 4 weeks), cattle are then vaccinated annually. Giving the yearly booster about a month before calving gives the calf the most protection until it is old enough to get its own vaccination.
What is a 5-in-1 vaccine?
A 5-in-1 vaccine protects against diseases caused by five bacteria from the Clostridia group, including tetanus and blackleg. These bacteria live in soil, manure, decomposing matter and even intestines of healthy animals! The bacteria are microscopic; they form spores which are highly resistant in our harsh environmental conditions (drought, floods, very hot and cold temperatures) and can lay dormant for many years.
Infection with even a small number of one of these types of bacteria can cause severe disease which is rapidly life-threatening. Once the animal shows clinical signs treatment is often unsuccessful. Often animals are just found dead, and not even seen to be sick. The bacteria grow and produce toxins best in damaged tissue, like wounds and bruises, so it is very important to vaccinate before performing procedures like castration and dehorning.
Remember once the animal is infected, animals showing clinical signs have a poor response to treatment and will probably die. Vaccination is a cheap and effective way to prevent clostridial diseases.
What is a 7-in-1 vaccine?
The 7-in-1 vaccination is 5-in-1 PLUS two strains of leptospirosis. “Lepto” can cause many problems in many parts of the body including kidney and liver problems, abortion, fever, jaundice and red urine.
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease; which means that it can be transferred to humans. L. Hardjo is the most common type of leptospirosis that infects humans.
The 7-in-1 vaccination is given in the same protocol as the 5-in-1 vaccine. That is, two injections 4 weeks apart, then yearly.
Botulism: There is one clostridial bacteria that is not covered by the 5-in-1 vaccine, but some producers should consider vaccinating against it too. C. botulinum thrives in anaerobic, decomposing, mouldy, matter, including bones / carcases. The disease is recognised Australia wide, however is more prevalent in phosphorus deficient regions, and in cattle that are fed silage. Clinical signs can take days to develop and include staggering/ataxia, generalised paralysis. Death is often due to asphyxia from respiratory paralysis.
Horses can get tetanus too!
As a reminder horses require vaccinating against tetanus and strangles (and Hendra virus!). Tetanus and strangles are given as a course of three initial injections two weeks apart, commencing at 3 months of age. An Equivac 2-in-1 is given, then two weeks later an Equivac S (strangles only), and finally another Equivac 2-in-1. This provides the most complete immunity to Tetanus and strangles. After this initial course, a yearly Equivac 2-in-1 booster is required. If you have a horse with an unknown vaccination history, start with the 3 initial vaccines as above and continue with yearly boosters.
Give us a call or email or have a look at our website to discuss the best vaccination protocol for your animals.
Some sad news: Quite a few of you have noticed in the last two months that the clinic is missing someone. Mocha has greeted many pets and families, given blood for transfusions and been a demonstration dog frequently. At the beginning of September he developed a sore belly and we soon realised that he actually had advanced lymphoma, a type of cancer. With help from our wonderful specialist team from UQ and also BVSC we started treatment but he became so sick from the effects of the cancer that Katherine and her family decided that, with the very poor prognosis, it was not fair on Mocha to continue. He was euthanased at home, just one week after starting to appear sick.
From Meghan: One last point for this month: I have had the pleasure of working for UQ Vets for just over one year now, and would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere appreciation and thanks to my remarkable colleagues for welcoming me into the team and for your support; to my clients for entrusting me with the care of your animals (companion to production animals) and to my ‘neighbours’ – the many members of our community from down in Dayboro to up on the Mt Mee mountain top, whom have graciously welcomed me into the area and helped me to settle in. I truly appreciate it, I thoroughly enjoy my work (I love my job) and being a part of this community. I look forward to the years ahead.
