Bayer Animal Health Introduces Breathe Easy BRD Detection & Treatment Kit
Bayer HealthCare, LLC, Animal Health Division, in partnership with Dr. Sheila McGuirk, associate professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, has introduced the Breathe Easy BRD Detection & Treatment Kit, an efficient system to assist dairymen in screening, identifying and treating bovine respiratory disease (BRD), commonly referred to in dairy calves as pneumonia. These kits, containing Dr. McGuirk's symptom-identification guide, a scorecard record keeping booklet and a specially designed pouch with pockets for bottles of Baytril 100 (enrofloxacin) and syringes, provide dairy producers with an important tool to help protect their valuable replacement heifers.
"Early detection of dairy calf pneumonia is critical to any dairy operation, so we have developed this tool to assist dairymen and herdsmen in properly diagnosing and treating respiratory disease in dairy calves," said Todd Firkins, Livestock Category Manager for Bayer Animal Health. "Bayer Animal Health recognizes the challenges facing dairy producers and has worked closely with Dr. Sheila McGuirk to develop this new, efficient and cost effective tool to improve the quick detection and treatment of dairy calf pneumonia."
A study conducted by Dr. McGuirk revealed to the dairy industry the damage that BRD can do to individual heifers and entire operations. BRD can afflict dairy calves during the first few weeks of life, and, if left untreated, can lead to permanent lung damage, reduced milk production and long-term reproductive issues in replacement females. More importantly, BRD is responsible for over 20% of pre-weaning and 50% of post-weaning calf deaths. Bayer Animal Health developed the Breathe Easy BRD Detection & Treatment Kit under the guidance of Dr. McGuirk and her colleagues to help the crews on dairies identify and treat the disease early before long-term damage is done.
"This kit is an important step in the detection and treatment of BRD, and I'm pleased to work with Bayer Animal Health to bring this to market," said Dr. McGuirk. "Early identification and proper treatment of dairy calf pneumonia before permanent damage can occur is crucial to maintaining a healthy and successful dairy operation."
If BRD is diagnosed, it should be treated with Baytril 100 (enrofloxacin), a single-dose, fast-acting antibiotic for first-line treatment of BRD. A leading choice of bovine veterinarians and beef cattle producers for more than 10 years, Baytril 100 received FDA approval in March, 2008, for use in dairy replacement heifers under 20 months of age. This lifesaving antimicrobial is a concentration-dependent bactericidal and kills all three major BRD-causing bacteria. Baytril 100 reaches therapeutic lung levels in just 60 minutes1 and peak killing concentration levels in only 4.5 hours.1
"Time matters when treating BRD, making the fast-acting, single-dose Baytril 100 the premier treatment option," said Dr. Jim Sears, Senior Technical Services Veterinarian for Bayer Animal Health. "By using Baytril 100 in conjunction with the Breathe Easy BRD Detection & Treatment Kit, producers can better protect their heifers."
Source: Bayer Animal Health