Products labeled for cattle coccidiosis prevention and treatment
No CommentsIn this section we will outline all products cleared by FDA for control, prevention and treatment of coccidiosis in cattle. Approved doses are included along with our evaluation of the pros and cons of each product. The daily cost for a 500 lb. calf is presented in Table 2.
Based on our experience we have outlined a recommended program for control and for treatment.
As with all medications, read and follow the manufactures label directions and precautions.
Product: Bovatec® (lasalocid)
Label dose for control: 1 mg lasalocid per 2.2 lbs body weight per day or 0.45 mg/lb of body weight
Pros of product:
- Readily available
- Palatable
- Increases rate of gain in pasture calves
Cons of product:
- Data indicates minimal efficacy
- Dose required for 500-lb calf is three times higher than Rumensin
- Not approved for use in mature beef and dairy cows
- Horse toxicity
- Minimal effect on bloat
Product: Corid® (amprolium)
Label dose for prevention: 5 mg amprolium per 2.2 lbs body weight for 21 consecutive days
Label dose for treatment: 10 mg amprolium per 2.2 lbs body weight for 5 consecutive days
Pros of product:
- Effective at label dose
- Palatable
Cons of product:
- Must be administered in water or by drench
- High cost
- Labor intensive
Product: Deccox® (decoquinate)
Label dose for prevention: 22.7 mg/100 lbs body weight (feed for 28 days)
Pros of product:
- Palatable
- Readily available
Cons of product:
- Expensive
- Static product that does not kill cocci organisms and must be followed by other product such as Rumensin or Bovatec to control a severe challenge after 21 days of use
- No performance benefits
Product: Rumensin® (monensin)
Label dose for prevention and control: 0.14 to 0.42 mg monensin per lb of body weight for stockers, developing heifers and mature cows up to a maximum of 200 mg/hd/d. The approved level can be elevated to 1.0 mg/lb of body weight up to a maximum of 200 mg/hd/d in non-veal calves.
Pros:
- Most potent ionophore on the market with the broadest effective range
- Kills cocci in three life cycle stages
- Can be fed throughout feeding/grazing program
- Only ionophore approved for use in mature beef and dairy cows
- Economical
- Bloat reduction
- Approved for use in goats
- Increases rate of gain in pasture calves
Cons:
- Horse toxicity
Table 1: Options for Control and Treatment — Coccidicidal vs. Coccidiostatic
Agents are either coccidicidal (cidal), which means they KILL the parasite, or coccidiostatic (static), which do not kill the parasites, but arrest their development. With coccidiostatic treatment, the live parasites will still be present in the calf’s intestines.
| Active Ingredient | Trade Name | Mode of Action | Killing Stages |
| Monensin | Rumensin | cidal | 3 |
| Lasalocid | Bovatec | cidal | 3 |
| Amprolium | Corid | cidal | 1 |
| Decoquinate | Deccox | static | 0 |
Table 2: Cost of Prevention, Control and Treatment for 500-lb Calf
| Product | Label Claims | Cost/hd/day |
| Rumensin | Prevention & control | 1.3¢ @ 150 mg |
| Bovatec | Control | 2¢ |
| Corid | Prevention | 28¢ |
| Corid | Treatment | 56¢ |
| Deccox | Prevention | 34¢ |
Based on current market prices.
Practical Programs: Based on Efficacy, Cost and Ease of Use
Recommended Control Program for lightweight calves
It is our opinion that the best program for controlling coccidiosis should be based on efficacy and cost. Therefore, the chart below highlights a recommended control program utilizing Rumensin. While Rumensin is often criticized for reducing feed intake in new calves, our experience has shown that if calves are adapted to concentrate feed and Rumensin at the same time, there is minimal impact on consumption. For the first two weeks, start cattle on a receiving ration containing 30 g/ton (15 mg/lb) of Rumensin and some high quality hay if calves are not adapted to eating out of a bunk. Then, move calves to a grass trap and feed 4-5 lbs of receiving ration while adding free-choice hay. After 2-3 weeks in the grass trap, and with minimum health problems the calves can be moved to a larger grass trap or comingled with other similar calves to allow more room for incoming calves. Throughout this receiving program, the calves need to continue on a few pounds of receiving ration with Rumensin to control coccidiosis and to provide sufficient energy for the calves to improve their health and immune status and be ready to go to pasture. The objective in this receiving period is to get the cattle healthy, eating good and some cases gentled down so they are ready to go to pasture and perform to their potential.
Recommended Receiving Program with Rumensin (For 350-550 lb calves)
| Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 | |
| Length of time | 2 weeks | 2-3 weeks | Pasture phase |
| Ration | Start incoming cattle in a small trap with receiving ration and some high quality grass or oat hay. Initial ration intake should be 4-6 lbs/hd/day | Move calves to grass trap, feed free-choice hay and 4-5 lbs of receiving ration | Move to pasture if available or comingle with other calves to free up smaller traps for incoming cattle |
| Rumensin dosage | 30 g/ton to provide 75 mg/hd/d | 30 g/ton to provide 75 mg/hd/d | 100-200 mg/hd/day via mineral or supplement |
After calves are placed on grass or small grain pasture, Rumensin can be fed in a mineral formulation at a maximum level of 1600 g/ton which will supply 200 mg for a ¼ lb intake. This level will control coccidiosis and increase rate of gain by about 0.2 lbs per head per day. When supplementing calves with Rumensin via a free-choice mineral, calves gain more while consuming less mineral as compared to a Bovatec containing mineral. Another primary benefit is to reduce the frequency and severity of bloat which is a common problem with cattle on wheat pasture.
Bovatec can be used in a similar manner but is not as effective as Rumensin in controlling coccidiosis and is much less effective in reducing bloat. Bovatec also costs more to achieve appropriate levels for control of coccidiosis on a daily basis. While Rumensin does not have a label claim for bloat control from the FDA it is an ancillary benefit that has been noted by research and practical use programs such as calves grazing wheat pasture or legumes. It should be noted that bloat reduction improves in stocker calves as dose is increased.
Deccox is an effective prevention product for coccidiosis. Daily feeding cost of Deccox is approximately 34¢/hd/day for a 500-lb calf compared to about 1.5¢ for Rumensin (see table 2). Deccox is a static product which means it doesn’t kill the coccidiosis organisms. When you remove Deccox from the ration at 28 days, you “open the gate” on the coccidia that are in the gut. The coccidia will continue their maturation and migration through the intestines if you don’t have a cidal product such as Rumensin in the second ration. As a result, a disease outbreak may occur. Practical management would indicate that Rumensin started on day 1 is the logical choice. If you feed Deccox beyond 28 days, you are in violation of the label and are buying an expensive product needlessly.
It should be noted that even though calves are on a good control program, a severe challenge in highly-stressed calves may result in an outbreak.
Recommended Treatment Program
If an outbreak occurs, quick action is required to minimize the damage to the intestinal tract of the calves. The damage done to the intestines will affect their lifetime performance, if the outbreak is serious. To treat an outbreak, we recommend Corid be on hand or readily available.
If an individual calf shows signs of a coccidiosis infection as described in the diagnosis section, drenching with Corid as described on the label is the best alternative. Treatment should continue for five days. If an entire pen of calves shows symptoms of coccidiosis, then treating the water with Corid is the easiest and most effective program. This regimen requires knowledge of the capacity of the water source or an automatic dosing device to treat the water as it flows into the tank or trough where the calves drink. Other sources of water must be eliminated while the calves are being treated.
Rumensin Toxicity to Horses
Rumensin is often not used due to its toxicity to horses when consumed at high concentrations. However, experience in the feedlot industry has shown this concern is overstated when final feed rations containing 30 g/ton to 40 g/ton of Rumensin are involved.
The LD50 for horses is approximately 1.5 mg/kg of body weight, which means that if a group of horses weighing 1,000 lbs (454 kg) are fed 681 mg (454 kg x 1.5 mg), approximately 50 percent of the horses will die. Research by Dr. Matsuoka showed that horses receiving feed containing 28 g/ton of Rumensin had little effect — one horse showed a brief reduction in feed intake and the other horses were not affected.
Horses used by pen riders in feedlots sometimes eat out of the cattle bunks, where rations contain up to 40 g/ton. However, this rarely causes any deleterious effects. Horses should not be run with pasture calves receiving a mineral or supplement with Rumensin. Levels of Rumensin in these sources can be as high as 1600 g/ton and, depending on consumption; these products may cause horse toxicity.
Bovatec® is a registered trademark of Alpharma Inc.
Corid® is a registered trademark of Merial.
Deccox® is a registered trademark of Alpharma Inc.
Rumensin® is a trademark of Elanco Animal Health.
