Heptavac/ clostridial vaccine

[bobajob]

For various reasons ( I wont go into them in detail, ilness etc) or ewes have not had their prelambing heptavac booster, I know, I know, bad job.
They are looking well with a nice bloom, and due to start lambing in about a week. Now worrying about this lack of vaccine. Thing is I have done them in past years and it always knocks them off for a few days, not eating and an odd abortion. We have also had to jag a whole bunch of lambs and ewes in the autumn past with engemycin because of pasturella (which cures the deaths).

Should I be getting on vaccinating them tomorrow, or risk leaving them. Saving a good few £'s, and perhaps jagging later in the year with antibiotic like last year. Any thoughts welcome

 

[Y Fan Wen]

Vet told me that you can do them even if you've had a lamb or 2.
I don't understand this story of getting knocked back and not eating. Maybe Welsh Mountain are tougher!

 

[neilo]

I've never noticed any 'knocking' effect of the vaccine, and been using it for many years. Could it be through handling?

As far as not jabbing is concerned, if they are 'on the system' and you miss out this year, they will need 2 doses if you want to get them going on it again. As far as keeping the system going is concerned, I doubt a month or two either way would make much difference.

 

[gone up the hill]

I've never noticed any 'knocking' effect of the vaccine, and been using it for many years. Could it be through handling?

As far as not jabbing is concerned, if they are 'on the system' and you miss out this year, they will need 2 doses if you want to get them going on it again. As far as keeping the system going is concerned, I doubt a month or two either way would make much difference.

+1 i have vacc mine for years and have never seen any side affects...

If i was the op i would do them now and give the lambs 2 jabs of ovivac to be on the safe side..

As for the ewes long term, if they are already in the system then being a month or so late wont make any difference, ( the vacc manufactors will say it will thou as they have to cover themselves )

 

[llamedos]

Cant add anymore to the above 2, would highlight "rough handling" a cause of em being knocked, false economy not getting them done imo

 

[bobajob]

Thanks for the advice chaps, got them jagged today, just finished. I always try and handle them gently, they are worth too much to be rough with them. Must just have been bad luck/ coincidence in the past when there have been any problems.

 

[Spartacus]

I have been wondering just how much good it does recently. We do ours every year but about five years ago we had some lambs away for wintering, wethers at one place (never jabbed) and ewe lambs at another (done twice). In the wethers we never had a problem, in the ewe lambs ten died in the space of two weeks, we got two of them PM'd and they came back as "clostridial disease" which should of been covered with them having been jabbed?? After the two weeks of them dying nothing else did so we never did get to the bottom of what had caused it really. Ever since I've been trying to pluck up the courage to not do any to see what happens, problem is if they hadnt been done that year more might have died or there might have been none that died.....

 

[Y Fan Wen]

Circumstances have caused me to send away wintering lambs without the full course from time to time, illness, weather, family probs etc..
I have always regretted it!