Bayer’s Baytril 100 Now Approved for Hogs and Dairy Heifers

Oct 29, 2012

Baytril Antimicrobial Treats against Respiratory Disease

Bayer HealthCare’s Canadian animal health division announced last week that they have now been approval to sell its Baytril 100 to treat swine respiratory disease (SRD) and bovine respiratory disease (BRD) for non-lactating dairy heifers less than 20 months of age. The antimicrobial has been in used to treat BRD in feedlot cattle since 2004.

This approval of Baytril 100 to treat respiratory diseases is good news for swine and dairy farmers, as some producers have found that SRD can increase feed costs, because it’s adding on average six additional days until the hog goes to market. Respiratory illness such as pneumonia can also reduce pig growth rates as high as 8 percent.

“Left untreated, respiratory disease in pigs causes lung damage and increases mortality, impacting the bottom line,” said Dr Bruce Kilmer, Bayer HealthCare, Animal Health’s Director of Technical Services & Regulatory Affairs.

Similarly BRD in dairy heifers can cause decreased growth, delayed first calving and premature culling from the herd. The economic consequences seem to be greater for dairy heifers - if not treated it could cost a farmer upwards of $2,200 for a replacement heifer.

The product is made available for veterinary use only and sold in 100 and 120 millilitre bottles starting in November.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.