Vaccines for all stages

There are many vaccines to select from when developing proto­cols for beef cattle operations, and no single vaccine protocol is appropriate for all operations. Thus, vaccine protocol develop­ment requires understanding of the management of each op­eration. Unfortunately, current field trials confirming efficacy of vaccines to prevent disease in “real life” settings are not com­mon, and not all protocols have been tested. Thus, development of protocols for farm or ranch use often relies on experimental challenge studies or expert opinion. When vaccination of calves in the first 3 to 4 months of life is possible, vaccines for clostrid­ial infections and respiratory viral infections are most likely to be used to limit preweaning disease. On some operations, pre­weaning vaccination may be delayed until close to weaning if the aim is to limit postweaning disease. Vaccines likely appro­priate to limit postweaning disease include those for clostridial agents, agents that cause bovine respiratory disease, and agents likely to impact fertility in replacement heifers. Other vaccines may be appropriate on a case-by-case basis. Health records in­cluding vaccine timing and occurrence of disease in vaccinated animals can be a major help to confirm efficacy of vaccine pro­tocols. Veterinarians should periodically check for new sys­tematic reviews, meta-analyses, or randomized controlled field trials testing vaccines they used, to have the best information to use when planning vaccination protocols.