Warts and Immunity Levels

[Saffy]

Our yougsters are really suffering badly with warts. I have never seen anything like it in all my years of farming.

These are no ordinary warts - they are huge, very quick growing and lots of them.

If this were a person I would assume low immunity levels and perhaps suggest taking garlic capsules.

So maybe it is worth getting some garlic powder of the type fed to horses for the youngstock? Anyone done this? Any ideas on raising immunity levels of bovines?

I do intend to ask the vets advice as now we have the herd the size we want and won't do any more buying in - famous last words - please note!!! We intend to embark on a vaccination progamme of whatever else the vet suggests, to include ringworm which we are also plagued with. However I believe warts can only be vaccinated for once the animal has them as a few warts are removed to make the vaccine.

The animals in question are all in good condition and always have been.

Stephanie



Edited By Saffy on 1266236317

[Duncan MacIntyre]

I think there are at least 5 different papilloma viruses affecting cattle, and each will produce different sorts of warts. I can see at least two types in heifers I bought in 2009. One has a huge thing, dare I say carbuncle, on the back of her head. I am confident they will all disappear in due course, though as you say the overall state of the immune system may alter the speed of reaction. Vaccine can be prepared from warts on cattle, but it has to be done on an individual basis, rather than preparing vaccine from one and administering it to others. I have used it occasionally for animals before show or sale to speed the departure of the warts.
It is also known that some of the gentetic material linked to cattle papilloma viruses can be found in equine sarcoids, but the importance of this is not really understood.

Duncan

[domsmith]

i think we have had this discussion before. the wart vaccine works but is individual, and so requires samples of each beasts warts. i think when we looked at it £30 a go. they do just go i find it builds to a head just before turn out, then they go outside and it disapears. i would think your cattle would then be imune to them?

ring worm we find is worse on the poorer calves. skinny ill ones get it and keep it. the ring vac works a treat with it. but again £30 for about 5 animals.

always upsetting as it looks so unhealthy

dom

[paul c]

Hi Saffy,
We had terrible warts on our young stock last year for the first time, also ring worm. this year ther are no signs at all and we did not vaccinate for this problem. We did vaccinate for Blue tounge in October 2008 but not vaccinate in 2009, I do wonder if there is any link to this problem and if anyone else has come accross this with the Blue tounge vaccine. We did ask our vet about the warts but she said they should eventually drop off which the majority did apart from one animal that was a bit poorer condition.
Paul