The Anderson Experiment: Dectomax & Zoetis on a Cattle Ranch
What Changed when Running Zoetis & Dectomax?
Despite his initial hesitancy to invest more in the initial cost of Zoetis products over generics, Vic finally did volunteer to try something new and give Zoetis a chance. We joined him on his ranch in Montana out by the Smith river for our first administration during branding.
Vic started the day off by running Dectomax Pour-on on all his cattle. Dectomax controls 33 stages of internal and external parasites with a single, convenient application... at least that's what the label said. Vic was surprised to hear this claim, and it is something we are really looking forward to watching and reporting back on come fall.
Our Dectomax is available for online order and delivery here.
After the pour-on, we got into the branding where Vic is already running mostly Zoetis products with the addition of INFORCE3 which claims to be the first and only respiratory vaccine that prevents respiratory disease cause by BRSV to help get cattle off to a healthier, more productive start.
If you look at both of those claims, you'll be able to see why we think the initial investment in Dectomax and other Zoetis products will pay off in the end--both these products will directly impact feed intake and the health of Vic's cattle throughout the year and into shipping.
So did anything actually change during the branding?
Internal AND External Parasites? Prove It.
One of the largest claims that Vic was surprised to hear, and that we all are eager to find out, is the claim that Dectomax, unlike its competition, works on both internal AND external parasites.
Over untreated cattle, Dectomax® comes out ahead by averaging 26 pounds of extra weight on a 5 weight calf. "That's just more money you get back in February or October." One study out of Idaho saw an additional weight of around 20 pounds over generic dewormers.
What's that mean about the price of Dectomax® (289.99) of generics (39.99)? It means you need roughly one pound of additional weight gain to offset the cost difference.
Read about the success one rancher has year after year using Dectomax on her herd.
While results from the Anderson Experiment will be multi-factorial, considering we used Dectomax and INFORCE 3, two products Vic doesn't usually use on his herd, we hope to demonstrate to our readership the efficacy of Zoetis products and offer proof of the claims they make.
We are scheduled to get out to the Heaven on Earth Ranch early in September to get a good visual on the herd after their treatment with these Zoetis products. One thing we will definitely be looking into is the efficacy of Dectomax on EXTERNAL parasites--Vic is also curious about this, so stay tuned to this space, and we will let you know how it looks later this year. So what else is new this branding?
INFORCE 3:Â Does Timing Matter?
At the Anderson Ranch, Vic also runs an outfitting business, Heaven on Earth Ranch, in the summer time. Because Vic runs an outfitting business in the summer, he brands his calves earlier in the year than other operations, so the calves are little enough that we can operate on foot without needing horses to rope and separate the cattle.
Another addition to Vic's vaccine line up was INFORCE 3 from Zoetis. This is an intranasal spray developed to protect against BRSV, while also aiding in the prevention of IBR and PI3, to help get cattle off to a healthier, more productive start. The studies they have online at Zoetis have shown that all calves vaccinated with INFORCE 3 were able to survive a severe challenge of BSRV in which all other, unvaccinated controls died.
We have INFORCE 3 up and available for order & delivery here.
According to Zoetis this vaccination is safe for dosing at all ages and stages of life, including pregnant cattle and just-weaned, high stress calves. And because Vic brands early in the season, you could consider his calves at the time "high-stress."
Our Results from Dectomax and Zoetis Products?
We spent all day branding with Vic on his ranch and helped to administer INFORCE 3. At the end of the day all of the newly branded and vaccinated calves were in healthy condition. It is worth mentioning that we did have two of the smaller calves act lethargic after administering the INFORCE 3, however, they did rebound and eventually returned to the herd. Read the final installment of this experiment here.
- Update 7/8/2016: Drew and I talked to Vic this morning and both calves are looking fit and healthy. Vic isn't sure if the lethargy these two calves experienced was from the INFORCE 3 or if these calves had an adverse reaction due to their age at branding.
If you have any questions about any aspect of the experiment, submit them in the comments below and we will add them to our list for September.
Thanks for the interest. We are running the Dectomax and Zoetis experiment with Vic as an overarching comparison to his Tx from last year running generics. While we didn't conduct fecal samples this year, we are maintaining the same strict Tx schedule that Vic was on last year. I actually just sat down with him recently to follow up and he said his cattle are looking less ragged and more filled out than last year. But as you know, that could be a million things including our rain patterns that we've had in MT this year. We've gotten the moisture right when we needed it, so the grass was able to mature and that could be why the cattle are looking so good.
We ran the second round of Dectomax in the rain another one of the selling points for this particular product, so we are interested to see how that pans out. Vic's ship date is October 12th, so we will get a better answer from the scales. We are also keeping a couple calves on after weaning which is another great opportunity for us to put these Zoetis claims to the test. We will be back with more info soon. Is there anything thing else you or ranchers in your area are interested in learning? We are very open to suggestions and would look forward to your questions. You bring up some great considerations for us to look at regarding how to get a clear "before and after" and we will keep them in mind. Thanks!