As the industry continues to buckle down on antibiotic regulations, maximizing the immunity of a herd is more important than ever. The team at Merck Animal Health is driven by the idea of maximizing prevention efforts. Dr. Tim Parks, DVM, Technical Service Veterinarian, was on hand during the 2016 NAFB Trade Talk to discuss the most important factors in play when it comes to immunity throughout a cow’s entire life, including the importance of prioritizing nutrition and minimizing stress.
“We need to really concentrate on nutrition, we know that nutrition is key to having a successful immune response,” said Dr. Parks in an interview during Trade Talk. “We need to make sure we’re supplementing to make sure these cows are in adequate body condition as we come into calving season.”
Dr. Parks also emphasized the necessity of utilizing management practices that minimize stress alongside vaccines and other products to help ensure disease prevention.
“We always mention stress as being a key influencer in what takes place in the immune system, and Merck has a new program called Creating Connections that is all about animal well-being,” he said. “We know that if we handle animals right, if we reduce stress in handling, that’s a great place to start. It doesn’t all boil down to what vaccine we use, it’s also about how we’re handling them, and handling them in a way that stress is reduced.”
Learn more in Jamie’s full interview with Dr. Parks here:
Interview with Dr. Tim Parks, DVM, Merck Animal Health
View and download photos from the event here: NAFB Convention Photo Album
