# Medication : Feed through tetracycline (abortion storms, pnemonia, foot rot)



## NubianSoaps.com

This is from a thread where Tim helped a gal who was in the midst of an abortion storm. Thank you Tim Schmidt of ECF Toggs.
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Almost all dealers that feed any amount of cattle will carry a CTC 4g crumble. They don't often mix it into a complete or supplement as it is usually fed at the start of the cattle feeding program and they wouldn't floor stock it because of shelf life. But the CTC 4g is easy to find. We top dress it at 1/4 oz per head per day and feed 4-6 weeks prior to kidding. Actually we do mix it somewhat into the daily feed pail instead of top dressing.
Tim
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Glad to see you asking questions. CTC feed is a tetracycling feed additivethat is mainly designed to treat or prevent respiratory sickness in new cattle to the feedlot. As a tetracycline it has a broad range of things it helps to control. There was a study about it preventing abortions in sheep and many vets will prescribe it for abortion control. We like to only feed it for the 4-6 weeks prior to kidding so that we do not get any antibiotic resistance, I do know some that have it mixed into their feed all year round. Years ago when we used to raise sheep we unknowingly brought in a buck that was a Chlamidia carrier and started to have ewes abort that were bred to him. Feeding the crumbles stopped the abortions. Abortions are never something that you want to see and so we are firm believers in feeding the crumbles as to not go through that again.
Tim

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The LA200 you gave them is the right start to the program and getting the crumble in the next day or so will be timely enough. CTC and Aureomycin are the same they are both chlortetracycline, Aureo is a trade name, and they say they process it a little different to make it more available but I have not seen a big difference (I used to sell feed). As far as the feeding, just measure out your normal amount of feed and add the additional Aureo to that amount. By mixing you will more evenly distibute it so they all get a chance to eat it. The last couple of years the 4g crumbs we have gotten have actually been a mini pellet, but our does will eat anything. I do know of a friend that got concerned when she opened the bag and said her does don't eat pellets, they did anyway. 
I think you said you have 17 goats. 17 x .25 oz. = 4.25 oz. That is a weight not a volume measurement. Honestly we are not super accurate, I used to measure, but have gone to the handful method. I don't know if you have a way of weighing that small of an amount, but if you can figure it once the estimate to the high side from then on. If you have a dairy scale there are 16 oz. in a pound, thus 1.6 oz. per tenth on the scale. 4.25/1.6 = 2.65 tenths, I would round it up to 3 tenths for the easier figuring, at that rate you are giving .28 oz. per head. Feed until the does freshen, if you are pen feeding keep feeding the group until they are all done freshening.
Tim
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I wanted to double check my resources. I couldn't find the original study in which I derived my rates 10-12 years ago. I did find a rate in a Pipestone Vet catalog which gave for prevention "200mg of Chlortetracyline per head per day for the last 6 weeks of gestation". So a 4g crumble contains 4000 mg per pound then 1 oz. = 250 mg. So you would need 0.8 oz. per head per day of a 4g crumble. On a dairy scale with each tenth equalling 1.6 oz. you could then say each tenth of the dairy scale will provide the correct feeding rate of CTC for two head each day. So Diane's 17 head would then need 8.5 tenths when measuring on the dairy scale or 13.6 oz for the entire herd. Sorry for the confusion and yes, now you can put the corrected amounts into goatkeeping 101.
Tim

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