The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Bramham Wiltshire Horns on December 29, 2016, 10:15:00 am
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A friend is vaccinating his sheep
Today with heptavac and has offered me some for my 5 sheep
I know it has a short window but is 36 hours on as I'm working and can't collect it and vaccine them until late tomorrow
Thanks
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We've discussed this one before, and nobody can really give a straight answer. The best bet is to have a read through those other threads, and form your own opinion.
Some folks will say 'yes, there's no reason not to wait 36 hours as long as the seal is only punctured once, and with a sterile needle' (or for example if your friend uses a sterimatic, and just leaves the bottle on the gun and keeps it in the fridge for you). Another approach is to draw up your five doses first into sterile syringes, and then keep them in the fridge.
Others will say that if the manufacturer states use within 10 hours, you're an idiot to use vaccine after that time.
I helped out at a farm once where they kept half bottles in the fridge from one year to the next. None of the sheep died, but I can't help thinking that was more through luck than judgement! :o
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As Womble says,the jury is still out on this one but I don't think it's anything about giving the dose after the 10 hours and the sheep dying. In my view it's about the vaccination being inactive after that time.
The choice is yours. If you believe it becomes inactive then what's the point in giving them the injection?
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I don't think it's anything about giving the dose after the 10 hours and the sheep dying.
Indeed. Apologies, what I meant was that none of the sheep came down with clostridial diseases, despite not having been vaccinated properly.