Cows visibly suffering from Facial Eczema (FE) are just the tip of the iceberg in your herd. If you have even one cow showing skin signs (clinical symptoms), there will be a significant proportion of your herd which are sub-clinically affected. A sub-clinical cow may look normal to the naked eye, but may have serious liver damage which will limit production. 

Zinc is a well-known and effective preventative treatment for FE in cattle. What many people do not know, however, is that Zinc must reach a certain protective level in the cow before it is effective. If your cows fall short of this level, then you are not providing your cows with the protection they require. 
 
Losing a cow to FE is a known cost, and an FE-related cull may or may not affect you on an average year. It is the iceberg effect of the hidden costs that you need to also consider: 
 
– How does sub-clinical liver damage affect your herd’s production? 
 
– How much money do you spend on Zinc treatment? Do you know if it is working? 
 
The solution for any herd is simple. Ensure you have a well-thought-out Zinc programme. Ensure that you start before the spore challenge spikes. Ensure that you monitor to assess effectiveness. 
 
Ten blood samples can tell us if your herd’s zinc programme is effective and these same samples can also tell us if sub-clinical liver damage is one of your hidden costs. 
 
If the results show that your herd is not protected despite your current Zinc treatments, your Vet will work with you to determine the underlying cause, and help you to work out solutions. This should be done early in the Zinc season so that there is time to make changes. 
 
Don’t supplement blindly hoping that it will do the trick. The fact is that Zinc supplementation can be an excellent preventative treatment, but it can also be hit and miss. Can you afford to take the risk? 

Contact your Technical Sales Reps (TSRs) to discuss your Zinc needs.