VFD regulations for sheep and goat producers are set to go in effect Jan 1,2017. As they now stand, this will, unfortunately, eliminate some products to the sheep and goat industries. I am going to attempt to review what currently are producer's options with the necessary products essential for production and animal welfare.
First and foremost you need to establish a relationship with a veterinarian that has visited your farm and that has knowledge of your operation, otherwise, script products will be unavailable. There are no VFD products approved at therapeutic levels.
I will make an attempt to list essential items where the status has changed and comment on their availability.
- Abortion control: AS700, not available
- Tetracycline crumbles, not available
- Sulfa products for drinking water and oral administration will require a prescription.
This list appears to be short but coccidiosis and abortion are major threats. I really only ended up with two concerns but the abortion thing is a big deal and people are looking for alternatives. You can buy the product now, that’s one alternative. If you get caught with an abortion storm and you can’t secure product there are other choices, such as injections of Nuflor every two weeks or if the diagnosis is chlamydia LA200 is more economical. It’s too late now for most, but vaccination should have been a prerequisite.
I object to tetracyclines in water for ruminants because intake is uncontrollable. Sulfa in water may work for some types of campylobacter and possibly toxoplasmosis. Further information on abortion is on my blog site, askavetsheep.wordpress.com.
Sulfa products become a prescription item Jan 1. 2017. They may be purchased prior without a script. They are the only effective drug available for clinical coccidiosis. Deccox in feed is a good preventative. Corrid works in the middle of the cycle and may increase chances of polio and I prefer not to use it.
Relief for abortion control may have just happened.
SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration [FDA] is confirming the effective date of December 1, 2016, for the final rule that appeared in the Federal Register of Aug 24, 2016. The direct final rule amends the animal drug regulations by revising the definitions of two categories of new animal drugs used in medicated feeds to base category assignment only on improved uses in major animal species. This document confirms the effective date of the direct final rule.
After discussing with an informed colleague I believe it to be reasonable to interpret this to mean that minor species have been exempted from the final VFD rules and that aureomycin and two gram AS700 may be used to control abortion in sheep.
