Has anyone come across (or heard of) any problems giving vaccine to pregnant and/or lactating ewes.  Half our ewes are either lambing or just about to, and there is no indication on our vaccine whether there could be problems giving it to the ewes.

Sarah Baddeley, Taunton

 

 

There should be no problem. Unfortunately, due to the timescale the vaccine has been produced in there hasn't been full testing done on pregnant stock, but Bovilis BTV8 is a killed vaccine and so poses no threat to unborn animals.

I have spoken with plenty of people who have vaccinating in-calf cows with no problems and I myself vaccinateed lambs below the recommended one month old and have seen no adverse reaction. The only danger posed would be from handling in-lambs ewes and the extra stress on them, but if handled calmly etc... you should see no problems.

I hope this helps and best of luck,

Jonathan Long, Livestock Editor, FW

We are just discussing this point, and found the forum on google. We are about to have our sheep shorn and vaccinate them, but nine ewes are lactating - The vaccine instructions state that safety has not been established in pregnant or lactating animals. The manufacturers say that the 1 ml. dose is safe for lambs over 1 month old, but I wonder how well tested the product is - it seems to have no relevance to body weight as cattle have to have 2 x 1 ml. three weeks apart. I am concerned, as ours are a rare primitive breed and may react differently. Surely the lambs will get a stronger dose, as they will get it through the milk as well. With the stated likelihood of raised temperature and a swelling at the injection site in adult animals, I worry how lambs of a light breed such as ours will tolerate the vaccine.

Vaccine isn't a drug, so body weight is of no concern.  All that matters is to introduce sufficient of the (killed) strain of virus to provoke the immune system of the animal to produce antibodies.  It is this antibody production within the animal's own system which gives the protection, not the vaccine itself - hence the delay from vaccination to immunity.

The different vaccination regimes between cattle and sheep is a result of the way their immune systems react differently to the vaccine, not their relative size.

 

All my ewes were lactating when I vaccinated them, with no ill effect whatsoever.

Thanks everyone - it is great to have so much speedy reassurance on this point! We were going to go ahead anyway as our lambs are nearly two months old, and no longer dependent on milk. The greater the number vaccinated the better. I suppose that below the one month starting point the lambs would receive a degree of immunity from their mothers' antibodies.

Antibodies are generated in response to a disease challenge by the ewe in her colostrum. Lambs can only absorb these antibodies in the first 6 hours after birth. After that, they are too large to pass from the intestine into the bloodstream. Lambs are best vaccinated as there is little chance the ewes have had exposure to the disease in order to generate antibodies. Good luck!

There seems to be a persistant rumour that blue tongue vaccine will CAUSE, and has caused, abortions and milk drop, but we can find no evidence of this? This rumour seems to be preventing many people from vaccinating and could lead to a serious break down in the blanket vaccination program. Can you throw any light on the root of this rumour?

No, the root of my original query was the manufacturers' disclaimer on the vaccine label. Since then I have heard other rumours about lameness in cattle and sheep, deaths of sheep, abortion in cows - discussions at NFU meeting - not one has been corroborated or had a proven link to the vaccine. My vet keeps sheep and has a practice of tens of thousands of sheep in the Exmoor - Quantock areas. He has had NO problems reported at all.

Abortions and other problems with pregnant ewes and cattle have almost certainly occurred in other countries as a result of bluetongue vaccination there:  they have used LIVE vaccines, which are essentially versions of the virus being protected against, but selected to produce only a mild form of the disease.  Furthermore such vaccines have often been produced in small and relatively poor countries where testing has been sketchy.  I have no particular liking for Intervet, but the presently available vaccine is fully inactivated, cannot produce the disease, and has been tested thoroughly if hurriedly.  Most vaccinations will cause the animal to run a slight temperature for a day maybe, and if it was on the point of aborting for other reasons, this slight temperature rise might act as the trigger, but it's still very unlikely.

                                                                                       Dick Plumb

Experience of cows not sheep-I vaccinated 180 in calf dairy cows that starting calving 1st sept, as soon as vaccine became alvailable (in Norfolk) and had no reactions of any kind, though I was worried about doing it, but what choice have you got? I have had 2 abortions since, the last one several weeks after the 2nd dose, but you can always expect the odd one or two.

Interesting that someone at work mentioned that there has been a higher incidence of lameness and blackleg in cattle since vaccination in some parts of Dorset/Somerset. All I know is that my sheep are fine!

Only 80 sheep done three weeks ago and OK so far but, probably more importanbtly, a local friend did 1500 at the same time and no losses or lameness as yet.

rumour mill?:

There seems to be a persistant rumour that blue tongue vaccine will CAUSE, and has caused, abortions and milk drop, but we can find no evidence of this? This rumour seems to be preventing many people from vaccinating and could lead to a serious break down in the blanket vaccination program. Can you throw any light on the root of this rumour?

  I run a suckler herd and vaxinated with the first dose of Bluetongue vaxine last Thursday, on Sunday we have a MAIDEN heifer ( put in with the bull just three weeks ago) wandering about away from the rest of the herd, clasic symptoms of a cow calveing. On Monday the following day the same heifer is paddleing about in one spot with her back humped and straining, or with actions like a bull ejaculating.   Any vetinary experts out there , can you explain this.

Owd Fred

I vaccinated 343 sheep and lambs at the beginning of last week, inclu