Health and Growth Performance of High Risk Cattle Administered with Nuflor® ) or Excede® for the Control of Bovine Respiratory Disease

Health and Growth Performance of High Risk Cattle Administered with Nuflor® (Florfenicol) or Excede® (Ceftiofur Sterile Suspension) for the Control of Bovine Respiratory Disease

Abstract:

In the Fall of 2005 a randomized, blinded clinical trial was performed at a feedyard in the Texas panhandle. A total of 1005 high risk heifers were treated with either Nuflor® (6 cc/cwt, subcutaneous) or Excede® (1.5 cc/cwt, subcutaneous in the
ear). For the next 5 days no animals were eligible to be treated for respiratory disease.

The products were equally effective in controlling BRD. Of the animals enrolled in the study 36% of animals were treated for bovine respiratory disease. Overall, there was a 2.7% BRD death loss and a 0.3% railer rate. There were no statistically significant (p <0.05) differences between treatment groups for clinically relevant health and performance outcomes measured in this study.

Health Results: Examination of clinically relevant health outcomes (morbidity, relapse rate, chronic rate and mortality) failed to show statistically significant (p < 0.05) differences between treatments.
As shown in Figure 1, there was no statistically significant difference in the initial BRD pull percentages of 36% for Nuflor and
32% for Excede (p = 0.318). Additionally, the qualified BRD repull rates of 37% for Nuflor and 34% for Excede were not
significantly different (p = 0.644).

Figure 1: Comparison of Initial Pulls (%) and Repulls (%)
for High Risk Cattle Nuflor® or Excede® on arrival

Comparison of Initial Pulls (%) and Repulls (%)

Mortality: There was no statistically significant difference in the mortality rate of either treatment. The qualified BRD mortality rate for Nuflor was 2.8% while the rate for Excede was 2.6% (p = 0.849).

There were no statistically significant differences in the chronic rate or the BRD treatment cost between treatment groups. The average chronic rate for Nuflor was 6.8% and for Excede 4.4% (p =0.484). The average total BRD treatment cost were
$9.32 for Nuflor and $7.29 for Excede (p=0.298).

Performance Results

Weight: There were no significant differences in total weight gained (p = 0.477) and shipping weights between the Nuflor and Excede treated animals (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Comparison of Weight Gains and Shipping
Weights for Cattle Treated with Nuflor^® or Excede^®

Comparison of Weight Gains and Shipping

Performance: There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in average daily gain or feed to gain ratio. The average dry matter intake approached (p =0.057) significance with 14.49 pounds for Nuflor and 14.89 pounds for Excede.

owever; there was no statistical difference in the average daily
gain over the entire study period with 2.49 pounds/day for Nuflor and 2.54 pounds/day for Excede (p=0.469). Likewise;Figure 3 shows that the feed to gain ratio was not statistically different (p= 0.593) between Nuflor (5.38) and Excede (5.47).

Figure 3. Comparison of Average Daily Gain and Feed to Gain Ratio for Cattle Treated with Either Nuflor^® or Excede^®

Comparison of Average Daily Gain and Feed

Summary: The results of this study show that either Nuflor or Excede are effective antibiotics for the control of BRD in cattle at high risk for developing disease. Both products performed similarly when animals were not eligible for BRD retreatment for 5 days after administration upon arrival. There was no statistically significant difference in morbidity retreatments, chronic rates or mortality between treatment groups. Clinically relevant performance outcomes of weight gain, average daily gain and
feed to gain ratio for Nuflor and Excede were not statistically
different.

For more detail on this study download the pdf:
Health and Growth Performance of High Risk Cattle Administered with Nuflor® (Florfenicol) or Excede® (Ceftiofur Sterile Suspension) for the Control of Bovine Respiratory Disease