All feed medications come with specific guidelines that must be followed to feed a particular feed medication. There are parameters governing inclusion rates, targeted organisms, slaughter withdrawal rates, and feeding time periods.
Before making specific recommendations, veterinarians consider the following questions:
1) What is the slaughter withdrawal interval, and when are cull animals removed from the system?
2) What is the destination of the animals after harvest?
3) What vaccines are used when in the feed budget?
4) What are the targeted diseases?
5) What feed medications give the greatest return for the investment?
6) What, if any, are the restrictions placed on the producer by the feed supplier?
7) Does the feed medication plan fit within the feed medication budget?
Slaughter withdrawal considerations play a major role in determining which feed antibiotic will be used. An attractive light hog market allows for the producer to free up the light weight pens and use those for pigs that will make the desired market weight.
The marketplace often dictates medications used. For instance, to meet requirements for the export market, packers implement extended slaughter withdrawal times for feed, water, and injectable antibiotics.
Vaccines in today’s swine industry are given either by injection or by oral presentation. If the vaccines are given by injection, the feed medications don’t interfere. However, if a vaccination can be given and is effective, the feed medication to control that specific disease can be eliminated.
Several effective oral vaccinations have changed feed medication programs. Those vaccines do not have a negative effect on the feed medication, but the feed medication will be detrimental to the vaccine.
When planning a feed medication program, it is critical to consider the specific targeted agents for the program. Initially it may be as simple as determining if there are gut issues or respiratory issues, since many antibiotics are categorized that way. As we work with the herds, we learn more about specific health issues.
Economics play a big role in the selection of antibiotics for today’s producers. Often budgets target a nursery feed medication program under 80¢ per head and a finisher feed medication program under $1.20 per head. Yet different vaccine protocols are used and different health challenges factor in, so we need to convince decision makers that we can’t fix a $3 problem with a $1 budget. |
