“Neonatal diarrhea is the No. 1 killer of beef and dairy calves less than 60 days old, costing producers an estimated $100 million in annual losses each year,” says Kevin Hill, Technical Services veterinarian for Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health1. “The economic impact is even greater when one considers the effect this disease complex has on infected calves that survive, causing increased treatment costs, increased labor and care for sick calves, decreased performance, and the potential for a lifetime of production losses.”

Beef and dairy producers, as well as veterinarians, can direct their Web browsers to www.guardianvaccine.com for comprehensive information on the cause of calf scours, how best to manage the problem, and the economic benefits of vaccinating cows and heifers with Guardian prior to calving. Visitors to the Web site can utilize the online calculator to determine the cost savings that can be achieved by vaccinating with Guardian each year. The interactive tool, which includes beef and dairy adaptations, allows users to apply specific herd information to determine the return on investment Guardian vaccine can provide.

Visitors to the Web site also can submit questions to animal-health specialists about calf-scours management. In addition, they can watch video clips from recent RFD-TV LIVE episodes and learn about preventing and managing neonatal diarrhea.

“Managing the scours disease complex requires an understanding of how it spreads and how to encourage immune development in the animals,” says Dr. Hill. “The Web site provides producers and veterinarians with important information they can use to make critical calf-health decisions.”

According to veterinary experts, successful calf-scours prevention relies on two key strategies: minimizing calf exposure to disease-causing pathogens; and, maximizing the calf’s immune response by improving the dam’s antibody production in colostrum.

A comprehensive scours vaccine like Guardian administered to the cow or heifer 12 weeks prior to calving followed by a booster 3 weeks to 6 weeks later, enables these females to transfer scours protection to their calves via their antibody-rich colostrum. After the first year of vaccination, cows need only a single shot of Guardian as an annual booster. Vaccinating cows and heifers with Guardian can result in peace of mind, reduced labor during calving season, and a healthier calf crop.