NoBACZ Healthcare, the wound protection company spun out from the University of Cambridge, has launched NoBACZ Navel, a patented, rapid-setting and long-lasting solution for navel dipping or spraying in calves and lambs.
NoBACZ Navel is a navel dip solution; it rapidly disinfects and dries the navel in as little as two hours and seals with a colourful, natural resin that forms a long-lasting waterproof barrier to protect against bacteria from the environment – it can also be used on ears and ear tags.
Combining traditional cleansing with ethanol with a unique barrier offering long-lasting protection from environmental pathogens, NoBACZ Navel is antibiotic-free and consists of a natural polymer and essential metal ions. It can be applied by dipping or spraying and contains a bitter agent that deters cow or ewe interference.
The product was developed in conjunction with Fiona Lovatt BVSc PhD FHEA DSHP DipECSRHM FRCVS, past president of the Sheep Veterinary Society and RCVS, and European-recognised specialist in sheep health and production.
Farmers have used NoBACZ Navel on over 3,000 lambs in trials run by Fiona during the 2024 lambing season, with fantastic feedback on its ease of use and long-lasting protection to these vulnerable sites.
Dr Jonathan Powell, director of Biomineral Research and Imaging at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Veterinary Medicine, and chief executive and co-founder of NoBACZ Healthcare, said: “NoBACZ Navel is an innovative, fast-setting, long-lasting barrier solution that enables farmers to utilise sustainable and cutting-edge technology to help prevent navel infections caused by bacterial ingress, enhancing the health and welfare of their livestock and preventing economic losses.
“We have had fantastic feedback from sheep farmers who have used NoBACZ Navel in our extensive trials this year, many of whom are using the product on calves and other livestock.”
Annie Jones, a dairy farmer from Shropshire, who uses NoBACZ Navel, added: “We used to use an iodine and spirit mix on our calves’ navels; we found it dried well, but we had a lot of issues with calves sucking navels as they like the taste of iodine, so we ended up having to re-dip and treat swollen navels.
“NoBACZ Navel is easy to use, and we find that it sticks well to the navel and dries it quickly; there’s also no sucking from other calves. I would recommend it to anyone for both economic and welfare reasons, as it reduces the number of times we dip and there are less infections so less money spent on antibiotics and pain relief.”
