I just read
this article in Beef Magazine
(written by Clint Peck, Director, Beef Quality Assurance, Montana State University)and he highlights many of the concerns i've spoken to producers about regarding vaccine use and handling, as well as providing a particularly apt analogy. Treat your vaccines like beer!
1. storage and handling is essential - improperly handled vaccine might look good in the bottle, but be worthless in protecting your cows.
2. vaccines are fragile - they must be kept chilled in a proper cooler, but never frozen. if doing large groups, mix/rehydrate vaccines as you go, but not all at once - as the article states, is every beer opened at the beginning and set on the fence or tailgate to be used a few hours later warm and flat? With any vaccine that is re-mixed, there are modified-live components in them that need to be in the cow - not out in the sun, and not warming up over several hours.
3. likewise with a partially open vial of vaccine/can of beer - don't save it till the next day. chuck it in the bin - the few dollars lost not saving it is trivial compared to the animals left unprotected because they were vaccinated with a vaccine worthless because of mis-handling.
4. important point about syringes and needles - they do cite washing syringes, which is more typical in larger feedlot operations. here, the best advice is using disposables and changing needles. they too are cheap compared with spreading disease cow to cow and/or vaccine inactivation due to presence of soap/disinfectant on the needles and syringe.
to quote the article, "if you don't do it to your beer, don't do it to your vaccine".
