Online Tool from Merck Animal Health Helps Simplify Swine Vaccination Protocol Decisions

Continually striving to provide customers with the tools needed to maintain healthy, productive pigs, Merck Animal Health has developed a new online resource for producers. The tool is designed to help them better understand the factors that can influence vaccination protocol decision making.

“Having a solid knowledge of vaccination best practices and vaccine options can be beneficial when discussing protocols with your veterinarian – helping to ensure that the decisions you are making are the best ones for your herd,” says Jack Creel, D.V.M., Merck Animal Health senior swine technical services manager. “We feel it’s important that our customers have access to all necessary information so they can make the right, science-based decisions for their animals."

Using the decision tree tool, producers answer a series of operation-specific questions, including types of weaning facilities, disease challenges, preferences of vaccination timing and frequency, and the history of the herds’ immune system responses. Based on the confidential information submitted and the individual needs of that operation, the program generates a suggested vaccination protocol, which the producer can discuss with the veterinarian. In addition, a recommendation for a Circumvent G2 product that fits within the suggested protocol is provided.

“This tool helps streamline the decision making that goes into formulating the most effective vaccination plan,” says Dr. Creel. “By simplifying the process, producers can work more efficiently with their veterinarian and focus their valuable time and attention on other areas of the business."

The vaccines can be administered to pigs as early as 3 days of age, and producers can vaccinate with Circumvent PCV G2 or Circumvent PCV-M G2, depending on whether or not the herd has been exposed to Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae. Once the most appropriate vaccine is chosen, producers consider the timing and frequency options that will work best. For some, vaccinating once may be the most convenient, while others may prefer the two-dose option for greater protection due to added disease pressure. Regardless of the suggested protocol, Circumvent G2 offers a five-month duration of immunity (DOI), giving pigs longer lasting protection.

November 20, 2014 - Merck Animal Health