Scouring calves?

[M Nut]

I am needing a little advice on beef calves getting scours. I have had 5 in the last week, and am wondering if there is anything I can do to prevent them from getting it? I treat them when I notice the problem, and have managed to save all so far, but as soon as I get one taken care of another shows up with it. And it comes on quick. I check every calf in the herd individually three times a day, and within 8 hours they go from looking ok to bloody runs. What can I do to stop it, if anything? They have dry bedding hay and sawdust to lay on, and can get into calf shelters if it is raining. We had a bad snowstorm about 10 days ago, do you think it is just a repercussion of that bad weather? Any vaccinations that can be given to month old beef calves to prevent this?
Thank you for your advice.

 

[randallinMo]

I would give all the calves 1 cc Baytril, 2cc Banamine, and 5 cc LA200. Also administer a calf scour bolus. You need to act quickly as dehydration sets in quickly. The weather stress is probably what triggered the outbreak. The very BEST solution is to vacinate the cows prior to calving for E Coli. This does wonders.
Another suggestion at birth is to administer 1 cc selenium, 2 cc vitamin AD, and 3 cc vitamin B12.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Google this.
Nutritional Scours in Milk-fed calves:Causes and Treatment.
Get the electrolytes into them.Stop the dehydration.

 

[Nebraska Cowman]

A certain amont is natural and tends to run it's course. But if it is bloody I'd be contacting your vet. Every area is different and he will know what to do.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Bloody runs sound like coccidiosis or gastroenteritis rather than scours. Better call a vet because you may be looking at the start of a wreck.

Keep the healthy pairs away from the sick ones and move the cows that haven"t calved to another pasture away from the sick ones or the ones who have been exposed. The sick calves are "seeding" the calving grounds with the bacteria and/or vrusues that will infect the next batch of calves.

Before you start giving shots you need to find out what"s causing the problem. If it"s gastroenteritis, then C&D Pefringens anti-toxiod might help if given early enough. The best thing to do as a preventive is to calve on clean pasture with dry beddin( sounds like you are doing that) and to vaccinate the cows with something like Scour Guard a month before calving starts to build up their antibodies. I give an oral dose of Calf Guard as soon after birth as possible when I mark the calves.


Certainly weather plays a part as a stressor to new born calves but you have to have the threat (bacteria and virusus) present also. Having the cows in good condition (BC 5.5-6) at calving generally means lots of strong colostrum which provides the calves with their initial immunity.

Good Luck.

 

[M Nut]

If it was something other than scours, would scour treatment cure the problem? I can cure them with the pills, pepto, and shots, but it just seems like I can't quite get ahead of it. Once I get one cured, the same day another seems to come down with it. They are kept seperate, so I don't think it is being spread by contact. My closest vet is 70 miles away, and they don't come to the farm cheap anymore, so I am trying to conqure this on my own. If I can't, I'll bite the bullet and call for one to come.

 

[Nebraska Cowman]

Take a feces sample and mail it to him.

 

[M Nut]

Good idea. Thanks

 

[Texasmark]

I bottle fed calves after I moved out here and graduated from goats. Bought dairy bulls. Learned the hard way that you need to put the "ninny" where mother's ninny is otherwise the calf inhales the milk and you loose it due to pneumonia.

Then I realized that the normal calf (after I could afford to upgrade to normal animals) hits mom a dozen times a day for a tad of milk. With most midwife operations, the milk is a synthetic quart twice a day; once before you go to work and once when you get home.

Really hard to raise that kind of critter without scours. BTDT and never again.

Mark

 

[Dave from MN]

Mnut, are they on creep feed? Sounds like you have coccidiosis. They'll get it from nosing around poop I guess, My vet said that "deccox" in the creep feed or medicated creep feed should cure/prevent it. He rattled off about 20 different meds they have available. He said it is quite common. Just hope it isnt cryptosporidia (SP?) Didnt you buy a few new cattle this year?? Very possible they were carriers and you are only seeing it now in the calves. Try 3 raw eggs twice a day. Works most times, Also try "calf savor" that stuff is excellent.

 

[M Nut]

Hi Dave,

No, not on any creep feed at all. Broke down and had the wife drive to the vets for me last night. By visual examination of the manure, it is just viral scours. He said it is just like a cold in humans. It goes around quickly and has to run it's course. He gave me three different shots including a booster, pills, and save-a-calf electrolytes. Three are doing great now, and the worst one is doing good. I am sure hoping this predicted rain and snow crap doesn't pull the rest down. All others look really good. I trenched the cow yard so all water would quickly run off and put extra dry straw in the calf sheds. If I can just make it to dry and warm, I believe I'll be ok. Cold rain and snow every other day is doing me in. Even though we need moisture, I sure wished it was about 40 degrees warmer when it came