A Co. Wexford dairy farmer has described Bovilis INtranasal RSP Live as a “game changer” for the health of his calves
Dermot Kehoe milks a 90-strong (mostly Holstein Friesian) herd with his wife Angela on their farm outside New Ross.
The Kehoes also keep replacement heifers and 12 Aubrac cows.
“We use the Aubrac bulls on the dairy herd to clean up the cows. Angela also shows the Aubracs at the Tullamore Show, where they’ve done very well over the past few years,” Dermot said.
Dermot said that Bovilis INtranasal RSP Live has become a vital aid during the calving season: “We used to have a few health issues arising with the calves, mainly high temperatures and pneumonia,” he said.
“We had samples taken by our vet, Pádraig Harris, and the subsequent test results revealed that some of the calves had PI3 (Parainfluenza-3),” he said.
Dermot continued: “Things would be fine for up to a month, but then we’d started to notice issues with the older calves – which in turn, would go through the whole ‘house’ in a matter of days.”
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a complex, multifactorial disease and early detection can be difficult due to the inconsistency or absence of clinical signs.
Damage to the lungs and respiratory tract can have long-term impacts on productivity, such as a lower milk yield in the first lactation and longer fattening periods for beef cattle.
This is why Bovilis INtranasal RSP Live has proven such an important tool in BRD control.
In 2022, taking on board the advice provided by his vet, Dermot introduced Bovilis INtranasal RSP Live to his herd – and he hasn’t looked back since.
“It’s been a game changer for us,” he said. “It works incredibly well and we administer it as soon as possible after birth, or once we’ve fed the calves colostrum – and that covers them for 12 weeks.
“The 2ml dose of Bovilis INtranasal RSP Live is easily administered. so there’s no great stress involved for either me or the calves.”
Bovilis INtranasal RSP Live is licensed for the active immunisation of calves from the day of birth, to reduce the clinical signs of respiratory disease and viral shedding from infection with Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and PI3.
As a once-off intranasal application, Bovilis INtranasal RSP Live provides protective immunity in six days against RSV and seven days against PI3.
“We’ve about 20% calved so far – all Friesian heifers to date – and everything is going well, thankfully.
“I also use Bovilis INtranasal RSP Live on the Aubrac calves, and there’s been no issue with high temperatures or pneumonia among them.
“I also vaccinate the cows with Bovilis Rotavec Corona 12 to three weeks before they calve – and that also protects the calf against calf scour. All complement each other and have given us additional peace of mind when it comes to our busier periods of the year.”
Dermot Kehoe concluded: “As part of any welfare plan during calving, I would recommend Bovilis INtranasal RSP Live, given the positive difference it has made to the overall health of the calves being produced by our herd.”
To find out more, talk to your vet about Bovilis INtranasal RSP Live or click here.
