# Bovi Sera



## Green Acres Farm (Sep 5, 2016)

Has anyone here used Bovi Sera? 

Do you like it? 

Why or why not?

Nobody I know uses it. I have been told that fortified vitamin b complex is actually a better immune booster than Bovi Sera. I have also heard that people don't want to use it because they don't know if it derived from clean goats. (Although I am pretty sure it is from bovine origin)

Thanks!


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## Green Acres Farm (Sep 5, 2016)

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## BlessedWithGoats (Sep 5, 2016)

No, I don't personally use it.  I'm not familiar with it.


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## TAH (Sep 5, 2016)

Ms either


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## Hens and Roos (Sep 5, 2016)

not familiar with it


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## Green Acres Farm (Sep 5, 2016)

http://www.jefferspet.com/products/bovi-sera


http://hoeggerfarmyard.com/the-farmyard/goat-health/shipping-fever-complex/


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## Green Acres Farm (Sep 5, 2016)

It's pretty expensive considering the high dosage...


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## NH homesteader (Sep 5, 2016)

I've never heard of it sorry!


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## Goat Whisperer (Sep 5, 2016)

I don't use it. Haven't had the need and I'm not so sure about it honestly. It would be one thing if we had chronic issues, but so far we haven't had any 

B-complex is very different then the Bovi Sera, I understand how they could both help the immune system but they work differently.

Bovi sera is made from the blood Serum, I would give it if absolutely necessary but its not something I keep in the medicine cabinet.


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## frustratedearthmother (Sep 5, 2016)

Nope, don't use it.


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## Green Acres Farm (Sep 5, 2016)

Goat Whisperer said:


> I don't use it. Haven't had the need and I'm not so sure about it honestly. It would be one thing if we had chronic issues, but so far we haven't had any
> 
> B-complex is very different then the Bovi Sera, I understand how they could both help the immune system but they work differently.
> 
> Bovi sera is made from the blood Serum, I would give it if absolutely necessary but its not something I keep in the medicine cabinet.



From what I understand, Bovi Sera is used as a preventative mostly, not as a treatment. It is given before times of stress and sometimes during. It is supposed to help guard against Shipping Fever, and some other things temporarily.


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## OneFineAcre (Sep 5, 2016)

No
Never even heard of it until now


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## babsbag (Sep 5, 2016)

I did some research on it once and honestly don't even remember why or when. I decided at the time that I was not interested in trying it and not sure that it even does anything. I chalked it up to potential snake oil and left it at that.


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## WantonWoodsman (Sep 6, 2016)

Never heard of it. Could not find any vets that stock it.


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## Devonviolet (Sep 6, 2016)

As one who follows alternative medicine, I'm not a huge fan of vaccines. 

12 years ago, I was very sick with Lyme Disease and Esptein Barr Virus. After 3 years of misery and not being able to find a conventional doctor who was willing to even try to help me, I found an Integrative Physician (treats mostly with alternative remedies, but occasionally uses conventional treatments, when necessary).

"Dr. G." said I was one of his sickest patients. It took eight months for me to _start_ to feel better. Dr. G. used herbs, supplements (including probiotics) and neutriceuticals to build up my immune system, so my body could fight the multiple infections raveging my body. And gradually my body did start to fight the infections and today the Lyme is in remission (it is not possible to totally eradicate Lyme, because it is so strong), and the Epstein Barr Virus is a thin of the past.

I'm telling you this, because I believe that our immune system resides in our's (and our animal's) guts. I am now convinced that by consuming probiotic foods (like Kombucha, Plain Kefir and cultured vegetables), we will create a healthy environment in our gut, with "good bacteria", and our bodies can become strong enough to begin to heal themselves.

Over the past 4 or 5 years I have been adding the above cultured/fermented foods to our diets and DH and I are much healthier because of it.

Along those lines, I recently learned about Bokashi, which is fermented wheat bran (using an Efficient Microbes [EM-1]), a type of probiotic, that is fed to farm animals and put into garden soil, for healthier animals and gardens. It has even been shown to help humans. 

Rather than try to explain how it works, here are some links, that will do a better job of explaining it than I could.

http://home-n-stead.com/homestead/tipsandrecipes/ems.html
*****
http://www.hawaiihealingtree.org/how-to-make-your-own-em-1-inoculant-and-bokashi/
*****
I have made my first batch of inoculant serum, and bought a 50 pound bag, of wheat bran, at my local co-op, (for the low price of $7.60 - including tax).  

Tomorrow, we move on to the next step of mixing inoculant serum, molasses & water with wheat bran, to make our first batch of Bokashi, that we can start feeding to our animals.

I firmly believe that by giving our animals probiotic rich feeds, their guts will be healthy, making their immune systems strong, which will help keep them healthy.


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## frustratedearthmother (Sep 6, 2016)

I've read a little about Bokashi also, but just a little.  Please keep us in the loop on the process and the outcomes.    Glad you're on the pathway back to health!


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## Green Acres Farm (Sep 6, 2016)

@Devonviolet, do you have any good kombucha recipes or secrets you could share? I LOVE kombucha, but it is expensive at the store and I started trying to make some at home- but the store stuff tastes so much better...


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## Green Acres Farm (Sep 6, 2016)

WantonWoodsman said:


> Never heard of it. Could not find any vets that stock it.


You can order it online


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## WantonWoodsman (Sep 6, 2016)

Green Acres Farm said:


> You can order it online


Would love to......but I am from South Africa, unemployed & my achy breaky heart just wouldn't recover after seeing the price.


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## Green Acres Farm (Sep 6, 2016)

WantonWoodsman said:


> Would love to......but I am from South Africa, unemployed & my achy breaky heart just wouldn't recover after seeing the price.


A lot of people don't think it's worth it, anyway.


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## cjc (Sep 6, 2016)

I haven't used it but a similar product was offered to me when I dealt with an ill calf that I was just pumping full of drugs to cure. The way it was explained to me was it was just to aid in his recovery and help prevent new problems as I had been hammering him with antibiotics for 4x the recommended timeframe, he also did not get colostrum so I needed to try and build his natural killer cells. I did not give this to my calf, I was injecting him with 4 drugs a day and I didn't want to give the poor guy anymore. I wouldn't be opposed to using it though.

I do like alternative medicine as another poster mentioned but I am also FOR vaccines especially when there are new animals being introduced. I would never unnecessarily give any animal in our herd antibiotics as an example but I will not hesitate to treat them. If its preventative I am always interested. I never used to feel this way but I lost a calf I cared dearly for a few years ago to a very preventative illness. Whether I am keeping the animal long term or not I will do my best to prepare their bodies for whatever disease they may face.


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## Green Acres Farm (Sep 6, 2016)

cjc said:


> I haven't used it but a similar product was offered to me when I dealt with an ill calf that I was just pumping full of drugs to cure. The way it was explained to me was it was just to aid in his recovery and help prevent new problems as I had been hammering him with antibiotics for 4x the recommended timeframe, he also did not get colostrum so I needed to try and build his natural killer cells. I did not give this to my calf, I was injecting him with 4 drugs a day and I didn't want to give the poor guy anymore. I wouldn't be opposed to using it though.



I think it is recommended to give it to animals who have not recieved adequate colostrum because it supplies antibodies when they can no longer absorb them. Did your calf make it?



cjc said:


> I do like alternative medicine as another poster mentioned but I am also FOR vaccines especially when there are new animals being introduced. I would never unnecessarily give any animal in our herd antibiotics as an example but I will not hesitate to treat them. If its preventative I am always interested. I never used to feel this way but I lost a calf I cared dearly for a few years ago to a very preventative illness. Whether I am keeping the animal long term or not I will do my best to prepare their bodies for whatever disease they may face.



Yes, I am the same way. There's stuff out there that I think is essential, and many things that I think definitely are not. I'm not sure if Bovi Sera is one of them, so I want to be informed on what other people know or think.


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## cjc (Sep 6, 2016)

Green Acres Farm said:


> I think it is recommended to give it to animals who have not recieved adequate colostrum because it supplies antibodies when they can no longer absorb them. Did your calf make it?



That's exactly the way it was explained to me. Personally I do not think that no colostrum or even adequate is a death sentence like many believe. My calf got zero. He was actually not nursed at all from birth until 4 days old and the first thing that hit his stomach on the afternoon of day 4 was milk replacer. I quickly rushed to the farm store and fed him powdered colostrum when I realized what was wrong and also got some good quality colostrum from a neighbors dairy the next day but from what I understand it was too late. The calf got joint ill about 5 days after I pulled him from the field and started bottle feeding him. We have no idea how it got in his system as his navel was fine so we assume through the gut, something our vet said had a 10% chance of survival. To say I babied this calf and gave it a ton of TLC is an understatement. He's 4 months old now and well over 300lbs. He is slower than my other calves but I really believe it nurture with that, that calf knows if he doesn't run for a bottle mama will walk it over!

This drug was recommended to me, not this exactly brand but a similar product. I kept this calf very clean, no other contact with people other than my mother and I and animals until all illness was gone for 2 weeks. I definitely considered giving it to him it was just the sheer number of needles I was giving him at the time. If I had a calf with pneumonia I would 100% give it to them. I treat all my calves like they are going to get pneumonia until they are 30 days old.


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## Goat Whisperer (Sep 6, 2016)

Green Acres Farm said:


> From what I understand, Bovi Sera is used as a preventative mostly, not as a treatment. It is given before times of stress and sometimes during. It is supposed to help guard against Shipping Fever, and some other things temporarily.


The way I see it is that its made much like an Anti-toxin (like tetanus antitoxin). Like the tetanus antitoxin, I would think it helps in the treatment and gives short-term protection for the things below.   

Quote-
"*Bovi*-*Sera* Serum Antibodies from Colorado – For use as an aid in the *prevention and treatment* of enteric and respiratory conditions in cattle and sheep caused by Arcanobacterium pyogenes, E. coli, Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida and Salmonella typhimurium. Administer IM or subcut."


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## Sweetened (Sep 6, 2016)

I don't use it.  I can't figure out if it's an antibiotic or vaccination.  It's wording indicates it's both, which, to me, seems like prophylactic antibiotic dosing, which is something I will not use in my rearing/husbandry practices.


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## babsbag (Sep 7, 2016)

This is what I gleaned from my research.

Bovi-sera is made from the blood Serum of intensely vaccinated cows for things such as CD, Tetanus, Pneumonia, etc.

An antitoxin is also made the same way. It is a serum. Overly vaccinated cows, horses, or goats have blood drawn from them and then the serum is taken from it.

Both the antitoxin and Bovi-sera are passive antibodies, not made by the body.


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