Recent on-farm tests for clients referred to Provita by veterinarians in Northern Ireland have discovered very high levels of harmful bacteria in colostrum that has been frozen and then thawed in warm water. Only colostrum that was kept in hygienic conditions or pasteurised and then either fed straightaway or, refrigerated and then fed had microbial loads that would be considered hygienic enough to feed to newborn animals. The management of natural colostrum needs to be improved on these farms to gain the full benefit of colostrum and any vaccinations used. Indeed, the levels of bacteria seen in the colostrum on these farms would be a health risk.
Where the management of colostrum leads to it being a risk, veterinarians should encourage farmers to improve their management. Additionally, alternatives include Provita powdered colostrum and/or Provita Protect POM-VPS. Provita Colostrum works locally in the gut and provides 1300 calories. Calves are therefore protected from risks in the immediate environment including their mother; it is not designed to affect ZST’s. The high energy will get the calf going much quicker and it will then consume its mothers own natural colostrum.
According to Provita’s Technical Adviser George Shaw, Protect is an oral supplement providing high-level multi-strain probiotic bacteria to prevent diarrhoea in newborn and bought-in calves.
“It is the only probiotic which is medicinally licensed for the prevention of calf scour. It has been clinically proven to reduce calf scour by 83%. To obtain this Veterinary Licence, it has undergone many years of rigorous testing to guarantee safety, efficacy and quality. Protect should be given to new born calves at birth; bought-in calves; after digestive upsets or after antibiotic therapy.”
Across Northern Ireland and further afield Provita Protect POM-VPS is trusted to give calves the best possible, scour-free start in life, coupled with good management and hygiene.
George Shaw from Castlewellan, uses Provita Protect to treat bought-in calves:
“It is our policy to treat each bought in calf with Protect. And all I can say is that the results achieved have been nothing more than positive. Each purchased calf gets two shots of Protect within twenty four hours of arrival, which are followed up with single dose applications on days two and three. Since using Protect, scours have not featured at all within the calf unit.”
Co Antrim farmer, Francis Connon has been using Provita Protect for many years, and has found that the same treatment plan has seen his calves well.
“The vast bulk of the herd calves down in the spring with a smaller number calving down in the autumn. We have always administered Protect to the calves, as soon as they hit the ground. We follow the application regime to the letter over the calves’ first two days of life. And it’s an approach that has worked well from us. Problems with scour never raise their head.”
Using Provita Protect has become part of the regular calving routine on the Smith family farm in Drumquin, Co Tyrone.
“We have used Provita Protect for many years, and we would never change this routine. We have calves born at the end of September and beginning of October, all of which get a dose of Protect as soon as they were born. For us it is just a case of giving our calves an opportunity to thrive as well as possible and to ensure that we have done our best to ensure that their gut is protected from bad bacteria.”