Metricure Alternatives

Re: Metricure Alternatives

Michael Woodhouse — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:48:37 GMT

[quote user="Wren"]Question 2: why are we having trouble with so many LA drugs at the moment? Firstly we can't get Pregsure BVD (and at time we can't get Bovilis BVD either), then we're told that Enzovax won't be available until next year (have found another Chlamydia vacc for the time being) and now there's no Toxovax and no alternative! [/quote]

1. Pregsure was voluntarily withdrawn from the market by Pfizer after a suggested link to Bovine Neonatal Pancytopenia (BNP - yes, really!). One may speculate they jumped before they were pushed - not a fan of oil based vaccines myself if I can avoid them so we didn't use it.

2. Intervet Schering Plough are having a very bad time at the moment. At the moment we have limited Toxovax, no Enzovax (latest batch due for end of Sept failed in vivo tests) and we got some but not enough alternative. Bolilis IBR marker is unavailable until the end of the year, we are waiting on their lepto dog vaccine, Bovipast RSP was unavailable for nearly a year, became available again and now unavailable. They also make the Metricures that started this thread! I make that 6 products all unavailable.

[quote user="Wren"]Having sweated blood to persuade some of our farmers to vaccinate, they'll have a trouble free lambing and will decide that they can do without vaccinating next year too![/quote]

Quite so. All very disheartening!

Re: Metricure Alternatives

James Kerr — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 09:28:44 GMT

Chin up, there's still plenty of oxytet about for when they all start aborting and the farmers are panicking!

Re: Metricure Alternatives

Wren — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 08:03:02 GMT

We'd use the Norbrook ceftiofur every time in preference to Excenel 1g except for the fact that it isn't licensed for horses for technnically need to keep Excenel in for this purpose, so now we have both in the fridge

OK, so metritis problem solved. Question 2: why are we having trouble with so many LA drugs at the moment? Firstly we can't get Pregsure BVD (and at time we can't get Bovilis BVD either), then we're told that Enzovax won't be available until next year (have found another Chlamydia vacc for the time being) and now there's no Toxovax and no alternative!

Having sweated blood to persuade some of our farmers to vaccinate, and especially when there's a very small pre-tupping window to get the sheep vaccines done, it grates somewhat to have to tell them that they can't vaccinate this year. Guaranteed they'll have a trouble free lambing and will decide that they can do without vaccinating next year too!

Re: Metricure Alternatives

Michael Woodhouse — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 17:39:58 GMT

[quote user="James Kerr"]All kidding aside though, I have actually been very surprised by how well some cows with stinking metritishave done with Naxcel +/- washout. Getting far better tx responses c.f. Excenel in equivalent cases, don't know if anyone else has found that. Maybe due to length of tx course provided as a result, or erasing any farmer compliance issues by leaving them with no injecting to do themselves?[/quote]

I have thought that too.

[quote user="Michael Woodhouse"]Anything even slightly off colour or with a vague temp or foul odour is getting Naxel and carprieve. Nothing into the uterus. I'm VERY impressed with the cures I have had from that combo. Nothing scientific but some quite nasty metritis cases cured in a fortnight![/quote]

I can see farmers adding up the cost of the Excenel each time they give an injection. I know for a fact most cows only get 3 days worth. With the Naxcel it costs the same as three days Excenel and they can't stop once its given. It's not as bad to inject as I thought it would be - less restraint of the cow [paradoxically] seems to work better. Now we have the Naxcel I can't see an indication for Excenel - of course you know it's only licensed for foul............. I think we don't use longer courses more for cost and hassle rather than 36 hours of antibiotic for mastitis being a good thing.

If you do any googling on the product you will find that in America they sell Excenel under the name Naxcel and Naxcel under the name Excede - which also has a licence for use in horses [2 injections vs 1 in cattle].

Re: Metricure Alternatives

James Kerr — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 12:30:04 GMT

[quote user="Michael Woodhouse"]

Why else would Pfizer be getting everyone over to the 7 day Naxcel................

[/quote]

How could you think such a thing? They are surely just trying to make the world a slightly better place!

All kidding aside though, I have actually been very surprised by how well some cows with stinking metritishave done with Naxcel +/- washout. Getting far better tx responses c.f. Excenel in equivalent cases, don't know if anyone else has found that. Maybe due to length of tx course provided as a result, or erasing any farmer compliance issues by leaving them with no injecting to do themselves?

Re: Metricure Alternatives

Michael Woodhouse — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 11:29:38 GMT

[quote user="Julian Earl"]

I see Norbrook now have an Excenel powder equivalent at a fraction of the latter's cost.

[/quote]

Yes Cefanil. Takes a bit of dissolving but squirts up a catheter easier than a Metricure!

Vaguely offered it to a couple of clients but they don't want the hassle of mixing it up. I am told by two drug companies that a generic RTU will be available early next year. Why else would Pfizer be getting everyone over to the 7 day Naxcel................

Re: Metricure Alternatives

Julian Earl — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 11:24:20 GMT

I see Norbrook now have an Excenel powder equivalent at a fraction of the latter's cost.

Re: Metricure Alternatives

James Kerr — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 17:20:06 GMT

The only other thing I've come across is Tylan washouts (1 tsp Tylan Soluble in 20ml water, or a bit more in a calcium-bottle-full of water). It seems to work fine, but suspect it's no better/worse than any other option suggested here, and carries the same withdrawal issues.

I tend to find when you tell farmers about the 7 days w/d, the ones that don't bat an eyelid have no intention of withdrawing any milk at all, whereas the ones that probably would have held the milk out don't want to and tell you so, and so they get Estrumate instead! Which, I agree, works just as well anyway.

Re: Metricure Alternatives

Martin Jones — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 09:04:58 GMT

[quote user="Julian Earl"]

We had a farmer get b*$ocked by his farm assurance people a few years ago for using the herbal mastitis tubes that were on the market then: Vetimast? Veti...something?

[/quote]

And rightly so. We started using the lavender pessaries to avoid a 'strike' on treatment, but found that they did a good job of cleaning up, probably due to a stimulation on involution. They certainly stank when burst - one of the dogs got hold of one in the car and had a chew. But I certainly wouldn't have expounded any specific antibiotic effect, and I wouldn't go NEAR a herbal intramammary preparation.

Re: Metricure Alternatives

Julian Earl — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 11:13:17 GMT

I rely on prostaglandins nowadays and rarely use Metricue for the "bucket of pus" reason given above.

[quote user="Martin Jones"]

Honest answer? A shot of prostaglandin, coupled with about 50ml of clean water, introduced through the standard metricure cannula - it's the cervical irritation that actually helps in terms of intrauterine treatment, and PG therapy is physiologically sound. A few years back, we were using lavender pessaries on the organic farms, but quickly spread it to other places too - far more effective than oxytet at that time.

[/quote]

We had a farmer get b*$$ocked by his farm assurance people a few years ago for using the herbal mastitis tubes that were on the market then: Vetimast? Veti...something?

Re: Metricure Alternatives

Martin Jones — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 22:38:25 GMT

Re: Metricure Alternatives

Wren — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 21:28:35 GMT

Doh, I forgot to mention that I am giving everything Estrumate as well. Sounds like we're both on the same track with the ceftiofur.

I had to do an old fashioned washout on one yesterday (stomach tube, funnel and several gallons of warm iodine-y water). First time in years.

Your milk-withold warning sounds like the warning I gave the first poor guy in a couple of years who was honest enough to ring up and tell me he'd had an abortion. I did the standard DEFRA brucellosis kit job then said that the cow must be isolated until we get a negative result. That may take a couple of weeks.... however I'd just like to mention that Defra suspended routine testing a couple of years ago due to extremely low (zero?) levels of Brucellosis positives in the UK. As I drove out I positively DIDN'T see the cow in question trotting back up the field to its mates..... ;-)

Re: Metricure Alternatives

Michael Woodhouse — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 20:36:12 GMT

We are doing three things:

1. Anything even slightly off colour or with a vague temp or foul odour is getting Naxel and carprieve. Nothing into the uterus. I'm VERY impressed with the cures I have had from that combo. Nothing scientific but some quite nasty metritis cases cured in a fortnight!

2. I'm using a lot more prostaglandin in cases where I may have given a Metricure in the past. There is a study comparing the two and both cured endometritis and no significant gain using both. I will find it if I can for you.

3. Also using Cefanil intrauterine. Cows recently calved, not sick, maybe just cleansed, no CL etc. Advise that it has no milk withdrawal if given intramuscularly. Point out it's the same antibiotic family that Metricure belongs (with no milk withhold), but advise them they should dump the milk for 7 days. I fully expect them to ignore my advice and so far there have been no problems. My arse is covered because I told them they had to......

In Cattle Practice

Understanding the Dynamics of Bovine Endometritis: Comparison of the Response to Injectable Luprostiol and Topical Cephapirin

R A Laven

1. October 2003

As part of a study investigating the dynamics of the treatment response to endometritis, 103 dairy cows, diagnosed as having endometritis by a veterinarian, were randomly allocated to treatment with either luprostiol or cephapirin. The response to treatment was assessed over a 28-day period using a vaginal discharge score based on appearance and smell. Cattle with a positive discharge score were re-treated on Day 14. Measurements were also made of cervical lumen diameter to assess its utility in the assessment of endometritis. No significant differences between treatments were recorded. 85% of cases improved within 14 days of treatment, with a cure rate of 50%, which had increased to 80% by Day 28.