New Easy Breathe Calf Bolus proving invaluable
The new Easy Breathe calf bolus has been a lifeline on many farms across the country over recent weeks with the very changeable weather causing a large increase in the number of respiratory issues being reported in calf rearing units.
Matrix Animal Health recently premiered the bolus- which is the first of its kind to be available in UK & Ireland.
The bolus contains a combination of ingredients that have potent antimicrobial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory activity making them very useful for combating lung infections in young calves.
Calf pneumonia or Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) is a complex, multi-factorial disease which results in inflammation and damage to both the lungs and respiratory tract. It is the most common reason for poor performance and death of calves in the UK and Ireland before they reach nine weeks of age. Respiratory health can impact a calf for its entire life leading to reduced growth rates, slower finishing times and reduced milk yields. Neil from Farmstrong Agri and distributor for Matrix Animal Health range of products, recently delivered another tub of the new Easy Breathe bolus to the Henderson’s Farm just outside Trillick, Co. Tyrone.
Neil commented: “After last week’s cold spell, many calves will have experienced cold stress. Coupled with the warmer damp air this week it has become the perfect breeding ground for respiratory viruses and bacteria. We are urging any customers that rear calves to have a tub of Easy Breathe boluses sitting ready and on stand-by as cover over the next few weeks as early detection and intervention is essential at reducing the long-term effects of the disease.”
Taking delivery of another tub of the boluses, James Henderson spoke to Neil about his experience with Easy Breathe: “On top of the calves born on our farm we also buy in calves from various different sources which brings with them their own problems. In many cases we won’t have much in terms of a medical history and even just the stress of moving farms is enough to bring on a bout of pneumonia. So during these high-risk periods we would use the Easy Breathe calf bolus as a blanket to cover that full group of calves. We also keep a really close eye on everything and if I see a calf that is showing any early signs of pneumonia such as not coming up to feed, a temperature over 39 degrees, a runny nose or blowing a bit, that calf will get the Easy Breathe bolus on an individual case. We have found the bolus extremely easy to use and would highly recommend the product to anyone having difficulty rearing calves due to respiratory issues.”