How to Recognize and Treat Calf Scours
Calves are prone to a condition called scours, or diarrhea, early in life. Scours signal that there is an underlying condition or infection, and it must be caught early to prevent serious problems and even death.
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Instructions
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Recognizing Scours
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1
Monitor your calf for signs of diarrhea. Check the calf's hindquarters for wetness or puddles of liquid manure.
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2
Monitor the calf's behavior. Does the calf seem to be depressed or showing weakness or lethargy? This, too, could be a sign of scours.
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3
Check for signs of dehydration. Does the calf have dry gums, have reduced elasticity of his skin or are his eyes sunken? These are all indications of dehydration, which often occurs when a calf has scours. If your calf shows any symptoms outlined in Step 1, 2 or 3, you need to take action to prevent a worsening of your calf's condition.
Treatment
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4
Separate the sick calf (and its mom, if applicable) from the rest of the herd. This will prevent further contamination and illness. It's hard to know at first whether an episode of scours is contagious, but you're better safe than sorry.
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5
Cut the concentration of milk replacer in half and add electrolytes to the bottle if the calf is bottle-fed. For instance, if you have been mixing 4 scoops of milk replacer powder with 1 quart of water, switch to 2 scoops powder + 1 quart water + 1 packet electrolytes (or the amount specified on the electrolyte package). Some bottle-fed calves scour due to overly concentrated milk replacer.
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6
Give fluids and electrolytes every 6 to 8 hours until the calf is eating and drinking normally and seems bright and alert again. Use a stomach tube or esophageal feeder -- or, in the case of a bottle calf, give it straight from the bottle unless he's too weak to nurse. Contact your vet if you are not familiar with using any of these tools.
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Give one dose of a probiotic, or direct-fed microbial, to the calf twice daily until the manure has returned to normal. A probiotic is important to provide the "good" bacteria that are lost from the gut in cases of scours.
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Contact your veterinarian if the calf has not improved significantly within 24 hours. This indicates that the scours may be due to a nondietary cause such as bacteria, viruses or protozoa, and in this case, it will require further treatment. The specific antibiotic that will be effective for your cattle varies based on what organisms your herd is susceptible to; contact your vet to determine which antibiotic to give.
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Tips & Warnings
Check on newborn calves, especially orphan calves, several times a day for the first few weeks of life. Signs of illness can show up and result in death within 24 hours if left untreated.
Follow these steps to help prevent scours from developing:
* Provide a clean environment and shelter from bad weather.
* Provide clean drinking water at all times.
* Vaccinate your calves early -- consult your vet for which vaccines to give.
* Monitor newborn calves often for signs of illness.
References
Resources
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