The economics of metaphylactic antibiotic treatment

Abstract

If you are involved in the cattle business, you can’t help but be aware of the low margin of profitability and high risk of this business. Certainly, animal health is in the forefront of managing profit and risk.

Of all the health issues facing new cattle in an operation, by far the bovine respiratory disease (BRD) complex is the most common and most costly. There are many approaches to managing health in these cattle: vaccines, immune stimulants, feeding programs, low-stress handling, and antibiotics. Many loads of cattle are candidates for metaphylactic treatment with antibiotics on arrival or soon after. The above factors determine the need for this program, but still in most cases it boils down to an economic decision.