Importance of Vaccination in Cattle Breeding

Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to prevent diseases in cattle farms. Vaccination programs are of great importance, especially in the prevention of communicable diseases throughout the enterprise. But there is a point that should be known in vaccination. Vaccines do not completely eradicate diseases. Vaccinations made throughout the enterprise ensure that diseases are less common in the enterprise, and if the disease occurs, the disease is mild. Considering the cost to be spent in treating the disease, prevention of diseases with vaccination is less costly. Therefore, it is recommended to vaccinate the whole herd in terms of both animal health and profitability.

 

Vaccinations starting from the calf period should continue in the heifer and adult periods. While the enterprises are preparing their vaccination programs, the required vaccinations and optional vaccinations according to the region where the enterprise is located should be taken into account. Although some vaccines are not officially considered mandatory, they are indispensable for cattle farms. While the foot and brucella vaccines are mandatory by the ministry, the septicemia vaccine is a very important vaccine for the enterprise, although it is not mandatory. Therefore, while preparing vaccination programs, a detailed research should be done and a proper and periodic vaccination program should be prepared.

 

Another important issue when preparing vaccination programs is the period of the animal. For example, there are two important vaccination periods in adult cows. One of them is the dry period (the last stages of pregnancy), the other is the lactation period. Vaccinations to be made in these two different periods differ. For example, the septicemia vaccine is a vaccine that should be administered during the dry period. The reason why this vaccine is given in the dry period is that the immunity created by the vaccine given to the mother is transferred to the offspring. In order for the calf to have sufficient immunity after birth, it is very important to make certain vaccinations in the dry period.

 

In order for vaccines to provide adequate protection against diseases, some considerations must be taken into account. One of them is vaccine protection. The effectiveness of vaccines that are not stored in a suitable environment and at appropriate temperatures will decrease and therefore the expected protection effect from the vaccine will disappear. Another issue to be considered is the correct administration of the vaccine. Application sites of vaccines, asepsis during administration and application doses are very important. Particular attention should be paid to the interval between vaccines that require two doses. When the second dose of the vaccine to be administered passes, the desired immunity does not occur with the first dose.