# CD&T vs Covexin 8



## bknthesdle (Mar 27, 2011)

I am getting excited to start lambing in April. While I feel like I have forgot so much, I am told its like riding as bike and will come back to me. In the meantime, I was thinking how I did mybottle lambs verses my katahdin ewes/lambs. 

When I got my bottle lambs I would give them their CD&T immediately. But on my ewes, I was told to vaccinate them prior to lambing so I vaccinated with covexin 8. I never vaccinated my lambs. So I contacted Pipestone Vets and asked their opinion.

This is the email that they sent me back;

"I have never used Clovexin 8 and I believe vaccinating the lambs shortly after birth at processing with one cc of CDT mixed together in syringe with one cc of aqueous pen is adequate. Give CD at wean. All injections subq. "

I don't vaccinate the ewes. 
G F Kennedy, DVM


And a link Pipestone posted today.

http://askavetsheep.wordpress.com/2013/01/09/cdt/

What do you think?


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## mawalla (Oct 28, 2002)

Interesting. I think I may use this method next lambing. Cost effective by reducing the amount of vax needed, and Pen. is cheap, too. Don't need Covexin 8 because we don't have the clostridial diseases it covers around here and, the one time I did use it, it caused more injection site reactions than I ever experienced with CD/T, too.


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## jrexroth (Jan 3, 2013)

We booster our pregnant ewes one month before lambing for rabies and CD+T, then the lambs don't need to be vaccinated until they are approx. 2 months old for either, when the colostral antibodies are waning. The lambs then get a booster of the CD+T a month after the first. Keep in mind if the ewe has not been vaccinated a month prior, then the colostral antibodies will not necessarily be there for the lamb when you dock/castrate/eartag. One vaccination to the lamb will not provide the necessary coverage early enough to prevent tetanus, etc. Also, the size of the animal should not dictate the size of the dose to a particular species. The immune system of two different sized sheep is approximately the "same size", so you should be using the dose specified on your particular product. I don't mix things in with my vaccines and don't feel the need to give prophylactic antibiotics. 
That is just what we do and what I would recommend to my veterinary clients


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## linda in se ny (Apr 14, 2005)

We've done both and have now switched to just doing the CD+T on the lambs as our ewes aren't bred to lamb all at the same time. And it's also much easier to give shots to a lamb that's a few days old. They're easier to catch!


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

So you don't ever vaccinate your ewes? I thought they needed a yearly booster.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

I have used an 8 way for decades on thousnads of vacinations both for adults and in the last 10 years similarly to what you were told on week olds. 8 ways usually cost about the same and cover more things so why not? Some years I have missed following up with a proper seiries of injections on older lambs which is a gamble but it either worked or I was lucky. I use the powdered cow's colostrum on mismothered lambs too, which works quite well.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

When I had my breeding ewes I used Clovexin 8. 
Never had a problem with it and doesn't hurt to have the extra protection, specially in that area.

But now that I am not breeding and it a different state, am just using the CD&T and Rabies vaccines. Rabies is a pretty big problem in this area.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Can you buy rabies vaccine or do you need a vet?


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

In this State I can give the Rabies vaccine myself.

In a lot of states you can also give the vaccine yourself but there are a few that the Vet has to do it... and ... 
Some Vets will just give you a big bottle if you have a good working relationship with them and you can do it yourself.

Most sites that sell Rabies vaccines.. normally have a list of the restricted states.


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