[SallyintNorth]

I regard vaccination as bit like insurance - you don't want it until you need it and then it's too late.  I give a big sigh and accept the cost - if I lost lambs to pulpy kidney or black disease or something similar I'd be kicking myself with a size 12 farm safety Wellington boot.

this

[suziequeue]

this what?

[SallyintNorth]

Sorry, SQ, it's shorthand for 'I agree with every word of what this poster wrote, couldn't have put it better myself.'

[suziequeue]

Oh RIGHT    That makes sense……sorry 

[Garmoran]

We have always reluctantly bought the second bottle of heptavac sometimes to only jag 3 sheep. However spoke to vet last night who I have a lot of time for and he was of the mind that the only real risk is from contamination and advised drawing off what we'll need for the second jag first and storing in fridge before going near the sheep. At our level  20 quid plus bottle makes a lot of difference when you throw over 20 doses away so I'm happy to take his advice.

This sounds like very good advice to me and I will follow it in future. I use Covexin instead of Heptavac and have at times kept some in the fridge for a second jab or for a few beasts that had not been gathered with the rest. The vaccine appears to have worked effectively when I have done this. And there is no doubt in my mind that they need the 7 in 1 - in my experience sheep here which are not vaccinated have a very high risk of contracting tetanus or braxy in late summer/autumn.

[Rosemary]

We don't keep it either but I know folk do. We have shared bottles with other local smallholders and co-ordinated our vaccination times. Compared to the potential vet bill and the stress of a sick / dead animal, £20 is worth it.

[SteveHants]

I use bravoxin now - its cheaper than heptavac and I believe that the 'P' part of heptavac doesn't last very long anyway (couple months).


I do the annual booster, but not the one 4-6 weeks after the first. This stems from a discussion with an immunologist I had ages ago who reckons that animals who don't take up a vaccine first time round are unlikely to do so in numbers worth noting a second time.


The only point of that booster is if the animals are in some way compromised the first time.

[fsmnutter]

I use bravoxin now - its cheaper than heptavac and I believe that the 'P' part of heptavac doesn't last very long anyway (couple months).


I do the annual booster, but not the one 4-6 weeks after the first. This stems from a discussion with an immunologist I had ages ago who reckons that animals who don't take up a vaccine first time round are unlikely to do so in numbers worth noting a second time.


The only point of that booster is if the animals are in some way compromised the first time.

As a vet, I've also studied immunology. The reason many vaccines start with two doses at a gap like this (2-6 weeks depending on the vaccine) is that the body creates a certain amount of immune response to the first dose of the course, but this is small and short lived (so will only cover for a matter of weeks rather than a full year). The second dose, because the immune system has been primed, is a much larger immune response, which will then last til the following year, hence the yearly boosters thereafter.
With heptavac (and many other vaccines with this schedule) the two doses 4-6 weeks apart are necessary for animals that have not received this vaccine before, but thereafter only yearly boosters are required.
The vaccine manufacturers have to go through rigorous testing programmes to make sure that the majority of animals will create a satisfactory immune response to the vaccine schedule they advise, and that it lasts as long as they say they do in most animals.
Please make sure you follow the vaccine manufacturers' recommendations about starting vaccine courses in animals, as if you don't the animals could still be at risk, and you will have no comeback from the manufacturers, who are very good at checking out if their vaccines aren't working (providing they've been used correctly).

I have also heard from an older, vastly experienced vet that keeping the second doses in the fridge, providing the first dose was drawn off with a sterile needle, and the rest of the bottle is stored in the fridge, will tend to be effective, so for those with few animals this does make sense.

[verdifish]

I agree with the above! Why ? If I don't ill geta kicking!!!