Injected April lambers with Heptavac P+ last week- They were looking well (all outdoors-twins having cake, singles on grass). Two/three days later finding ewes down with what looks like pasturella/pneumonia. Don't respond to cacium/twin lamb treatment or antibiotics. High temp and always dead by the next day. Spoke to my brother-in-law today and he had exactly the same with his Feb lambers- lost 8 ewes out of 400. Pretty annoyed- enough dies here without me killing them! Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this?
Ewes dying after Heptavac P+
- Thread starter JHT
- Start date
Average Farmerboy
Member
I lost 2 ewes the same way, another was on deaths door but some how pulled through. I put it down to getting them in late for lambing and suddenly changing their diet.
Could be a bit in that @Average Farmerboy as the couple of bunches that I'm having trouble with were moved onto fresh fields after injecting (no grass just fresh ground). Also brother-in-law housed his after injecting- he had PM and vet thought they had a bit of pasturella in their system and the Heptavac had somehow triggered it along with a bit of stress and change of diet. Bloody annoying all the same- I've still got 300 later lambers left to inject- pretty nervous about doing them now to be honest!
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
Gathering a mob of singles to vaccinate on Monday, one dropped dead. PM findings were pasturella and fluke. Fluke is a new development, sadly. Not seen it before in my sheep before this weekend when cut open a ewe carrying twins that had snuffed it, also had pneumonia. That group vaccinated three weeks ago.
quavers
Member
- Location
- aberdeenshire
about twenty years ago used ..........++ witch was new at the time first batch of hogs from shetland were done with vaccine , then a few days later vaccinated the home grown lambs after about 10 days the Shetland hogs started dying than afew days the home hogs the same . lost about 35 hogs . sent some for pms but you will find it very difficult for any one to back in a case like this against a large company . heard through a trade friend that vets from the keith area helped farmers get a claim . have not used it since.
The vast majority of pharmacovigilance claims we investigate are nothing to do with the product, but some other factor at play. We know Heptavac P is very safe and effective. It's a toxoid vaccine so there is no active disease causing bacteria in there that could have survived any manufacturing process.
A sheep has a 1 in 52 chance of dying within a week of a booster vaccine. Many of these are coincidences.
A sheep has a 1 in 52 chance of dying within a week of a booster vaccine. Many of these are coincidences.
- Location
- Bedfordshire
Is there any problems with vaccinating 2 weeks from lambing? Just got a few that were left in another batch.
- Location
- Bedfordshire
Thanks @bovine i know it's not ideal, I just thought I'd rather do them when I have to move them, rather than get them in twice.
- Location
- sw scotland
A sheep has a 1 in 52 chance of dying within a week of a booster vaccine. Many of these are coincidences.[/QUOTE]
If sheep have a 1 in 52 chance of dying within a week then will all mine be dead in a year? Feels like it at present.
If sheep have a 1 in 52 chance of dying within a week then will all mine be dead in a year? Feels like it at present.
Punch
Member
- Location
- Warwickshire
We've lost 1 very similar symptoms. Went off back end. No obvious signs. Not slipping. Dad said she was cast couple days before ( well he's says it was a whitefaced bugger).
We Hepted on Friday 10th.
Also had a few slip over last weekend but that maybe weather. Ours still outside and haven't changed ration.
Don't think we'll H-P before lambing again.
We Hepted on Friday 10th.
Also had a few slip over last weekend but that maybe weather. Ours still outside and haven't changed ration.
Don't think we'll H-P before lambing again.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
If you're going to have an odd ewe slip, and there will always be an odd one, then it will usually be after they've had their pre-lambing jab, purely because that's the stage of pregnancy when anything would slip, whose lambs were noticeable.
I've changed over to Bravoxin this year, not because I've ever seen a problem where I thought Heptavac was to blame, but because of price and doubts as to whether the amount of P cover is worth paying almost 3x the cost for any more.
I had 3 or 4 ewes die in the fortnight after having their primary Bravoxin jab, which we thought was most likely Blacks disease from vet & DIY PM's. After a fortnight, no more losses. I don't blame the vaccine though, more that there was a problem and the vaccine wouldn't have boosted immunity for around a fortnight. I consider the vaccine prevented more losses, once it had taken effect.
Grassman
Member
- Location
- Derbyshire
More likely stress related from handling.
Batch number- H257ZA02. Expires- 08-2018.
If they had aborted or gone down with twin lamb then yes I would say stress of handling. Never seen ewes dying of pasturella after handling here before. Surely they shouldn't be getting pasturella anyway if they are in the heptavac p system?
I'm guessing you've not seen a big lamb dysentry or pulpy kidney outbreak?
They can be pretty devastating to a business, and more than worth the 'risk' of an odd animal dying (probably coincidentally) after a booster.