Vaccination Against- Contagious Abortion

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 73, Issue 5, 15 November 1946, Page 457

Vaccination AgainstContagious Abortion

’T'HE campaign for control of con■Vtagious abortion'by calf vaccination was • commenced in 1943. The numbers of calves vaccinated each year have increased steadily as shown by the following figures: 1943, 18,000; 1944, 40,000; 1945, 110,000; 1946, 160,000, or approximately 50 per cent, of the dairy heifers ,in the Dominion. The results have been consistently . good. The 1945 calving returns from . 1,266 herds show that there were 2.6 per cent, of abortions from'all’ causes in 16,075 two-year-old heifers which had been vaccinated as calves, whereas in the previous year there had been 22.3 per cent, of abortions in 17,098 un,vaccinated heifers in the same herds. Results were/ also available in ■ 1945 for 6,537 second pregnancies in heifers vaccinated as calves. In : these three-year-old heifers only 2.8 per . cent.' of abortions occurred. It therefore appears that the immunity from calf vaccination lasts ■ through at least two pregnancies.

' So far vaccination has been provided free, but as the work has now passed the experimental stage, the Government feels that it is only reasonable to make a charge to . cover cost of vaccine and the . travelling involved. In consultation with the New Zealand Dairy Board and' the Dominion Federation of Farmers’ Veterinary Services, the -following, scale of charges which will apply to all vaccinations carried out after the first of 'January, 1947, has been fixed. Herds with 14 calves or less l/6d. per calf; herds with more than 14 calves l/6d. per head for the first 14 . calves and l/3d. per \ head thereafter. '

To simplify the procedure as far as possible it has . been decided that dairy farmers may now make applications in their own districts. Members' ..of Veterinary Clubs , should apply , to the secretary of their clubs; all others should apply to the nearest 'lnspectors of Stock. An exception to this procedure may .be made in some districts where . Club Veterinarians and Inspectors of Stock agree to divide the district into blocks to save travelling. In such cases farmers will be advised in the local press concerning the office to: which applications should be sent. All. applications to Inspectors of Stock must be accompanied by a cash payment - calculated on the above basis. Veterinary Clubs will make their own arrangements for the collection of fees..

All applications must be sent in’ by December 31. This is most important. In the past much unnecessary travelling has been caused by . late applications. Vaccinating officers , have

planned their itineraries to cover the district *in the . most efficient way possible. Them after calves of all early applicants have been vaccinated, it has been necessary to cover- the • whole ground again, sometimes several times, for the sake of a few late applicants. Shortage of . staff and transport make this most .undesirable. Next; year it may be impossible to vaccinate calves for which applications are. not . received before December 31 and they will in any case be done only at the convenience of the Vaccinating Officer after all - other .work - has been completed. As most . heifers kept are born before . the ' end z of, October, there should be no excuse for late applications. So for their own sakes farmers should apply, as soon as they know ■how many heifers they intend to keep. ' . v .'

Although the experimental stage is now passed as far as immunity during first and . second pregnancies is ' concerned, it is important that accurate information should be obtained concerning the length of immunity. All farmers , are therefore ■ requested to fill in the full details concerning abortions, etc., which are asked for on the back of the . application forms. New forms provided this year may be obtained from Veterinary Clubs or Departmental . offices. All applications must be made on the, new forms.

Farmers can materially, assist the Vaccinating Officers in this work by providing reasonable facilities. Your Veterinarian or Inspector of Stock should be consulted concerning the best. method of handling the' calves, and he should not be expected to work in a muddy paddock , or without any bails .or races or any assistance in catching and holding the calves. Where possible, especially in < small herds, arrange for calves belonging to several farmers to be . brought together in one place.

Remember: 1. New application forms are being used and these are now available at the office of your Veterinary . Club or that of the Inspector of Stock. 2. Cash must accompany applications to Inspectors of Stock. 3. Fill in applications carefully ‘ and forward them early either to the ■ secretary of your Veterinary Club •or to the district Inspector of Stock. They must be in before December 31. J. F. FILMER, Director, Animal Research Division, Wellington.

answer to Correspondent ■ 1 aaw&anMffnl

Death of Pedigree Ball

“J.T.C.,” Waimana:— ABOUT three weeks ago we noticed ** our pedigree bull was occasionally swollen in the stomach as if blown. He would be blown one day, then go down to normal again, until about a week ago he remained > swollen and began to get larger and did not feed. We drenched him and gave him an enema of soap and water, with no beneficial effect. Eventually we had to destroy him.. / Examination ' disclosed - all stomachs full. The third was fullest and ■ the contents undigested, and a considerable' quantity of sand ..was found in x the stomachs; -in one it was finger deep. After he was shot a quantity, of dirty brown fluid poured out -of his mouth. One side of the stomach lining was highly discoloured. Feed for the week before his death consisted of good grass and a little hayabout 201 b. a . day.

LIVESTOCK DIVISION:—

'• From the symptoms it would appear that the animal had some obstruction of the oesophagus, and in these- cases it is usually something pressing on the oesophagus- in the chest cavity. One would expect that . this pressure was due to an enlarged lymph gland (known as the mediastinal lymph gland) lying close to the oesophagus in . the passage through , the 'chest cavity. Such enlargement is usually due either to tuberculosis, malignant growth (popularly known as a cancer), or actinomycosis (which ,is due to the same organism that produces lumpy jaw). - If the chest had ; been examined in the post-morten, the cause of the trouble would have been found there. x The sand and food in the stomach are relatively unimportant evidence, as is the : fluid which poured , out of the rumen when the bull was shot. This is a common occurrence. „ The stomach lining 'is usually discoloured due to blood in the vessels on the side on which the weight of the stomach content is pressing at the time of death. If a case of this nature arises again, application should 'be made to . the Department of Agriculture to have the animal tuberculin tested, as it is quite useless attempting to treat a case in which tuberculosis has caused the obstruction. .. ' ■ , :

LIQUID MANURE

More and more farmers are realising the value of liquid manure. Bulletin No, 256, “Liquid Manure,” illustrates the most profitable ways of. utilising .this ; valuable fertiliser.. Write to the Department of . Agriculture, Auckland, Palmerston North, Christchurch, or n i i nedin, for. this free bulletin. 1 >