Best treatment for dehydrated-scouring calf?

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badaxemoo

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Two days ago I went to check on the calves and found one lying on the ground, his eyes rolled back and unable to lift his head. He had some yellow-white scours at his rear end. I had checked him closely the night before and he looked fine. We are in the middle of a heat wave.

I gave him a shot of LA200, dosed him with some Pepto-Bismol, and during the course of hte night he drank 8 quarts of electrolyte fluid (2 quarts every 4 hours).

The next morning he was up and walking, but he still seems to be a bit slow - until this point he had been the most vigourous of our four calves. I've observed him nursing since he got sick.

1. If he is on the upswing now, can I expect a full recovery - or do dehydrated calves often suffer permanent damage. The skin on his neck tented for about one second at his second electrolyte meeting?

2. Should I do anything different next time? I called the vet that night because I thought he could use an IV, but he basically told me in the heat we were having and the condition of the calf he probably wouldn't make it, so I muddled through myself.

3. Does anyone use calfguard (the oral immunization for scours protection)?

4. We have selenium deficient soils. Should I be giving the calves selenium shots? I mix some selenium in with the cattle's mineral.

Sorry for all the questions, but we are novices at this stuff.
 
badaxemoo":tc8gwjpc said:
Two days ago I went to check on the calves and found one lying on the ground, his eyes rolled back and unable to lift his head. He had some yellow-white scours at his rear end. I had checked him closely the night before and he looked fine. We are in the middle of a heat wave.

I gave him a shot of LA200, dosed him with some Pepto-Bismol, and during the course of hte night he drank 8 quarts of electrolyte fluid (2 quarts every 4 hours).

The next morning he was up and walking, but he still seems to be a bit slow - until this point he had been the most vigourous of our four calves. I've observed him nursing since he got sick.

1. If he is on the upswing now, can I expect a full recovery - or do dehydrated calves often suffer permanent damage. The skin on his neck tented for about one second at his second electrolyte meeting?

I would expect a good recovery, but you probably should keep on the electrolytes for a while longer. With the heat, it wouldn't take much to set him back again.


2. Should I do anything different next time? I called the vet that night because I thought he could use an IV, but he basically told me in the heat we were having and the condition of the calf he probably wouldn't make it, so I muddled through myself.

Sounds to me like you did well. The only thing that you maybe should have done differently is to give some medicine specifically for treating scours.

3. Does anyone use calfguard (the oral immunization for scours protection)?


You can also give your cows a vaccine to prevent scours. We don't do either, but there are a number of ranchers that vaccinate their cows in this area.

4. We have selenium deficient soils. Should I be giving the calves selenium shots? I mix some selenium in with the cattle's mineral.

It would be a good idea to give the calves selenium, especially if you aren't feeding a mineral that includes selenium in it. I find it to be a lot easier to feed a mineral with selenium than to give shots.
Sorry for all the questions, but we are novices at this stuff.
 
badaxemoo":1hgjj3no said:
Two days ago I went to check on the calves and found one lying on the ground, his eyes rolled back and unable to lift his head. He had some yellow-white scours at his rear end. I had checked him closely the night before and he looked fine. We are in the middle of a heat wave.

I gave him a shot of LA200, dosed him with some Pepto-Bismol, and during the course of hte night he drank 8 quarts of electrolyte fluid (2 quarts every 4 hours).

The next morning he was up and walking, but he still seems to be a bit slow - until this point he had been the most vigourous of our four calves. I've observed him nursing since he got sick.

1. If he is on the upswing now, can I expect a full recovery - or do dehydrated calves often suffer permanent damage. The skin on his neck tented for about one second at his second electrolyte meeting?

2. Should I do anything different next time? I called the vet that night because I thought he could use an IV, but he basically told me in the heat we were having and the condition of the calf he probably wouldn't make it, so I muddled through myself.

3. Does anyone use calfguard (the oral immunization for scours protection)?

4. We have selenium deficient soils. Should I be giving the calves selenium shots? I mix some selenium in with the cattle's mineral.

Sorry for all the questions, but we are novices at this stuff.

I'd keep giving that calf electrolytes until he is totally dried up...twice a day, at least. And, keep him in the shade...mist him off with the garden hose and mist attachment. It wouldn't surprise me in the least the heat caused the scours. My calves could scour with the slightest, merest, teeny tiniest change in the weather. Right now I'm not raising bottle babies 'cause of this dreadful heat.

Also, give the calf probios.

Our soil isn't selenium deficient, but I understand something called Bose is used for that. Ask your vet first.

And remember, calves don't die from scours...they die from the dehydration and electrolyte imbalance caused by the scours. And, sometimes, with all best efforts, they just die.

I think you did quite well for someone who hasn't been thru this very often. You even called the Vet...good for you!

Alice
 
Alice":368fzyuv said:
And remember, calves don't die from scours...they die from the dehydration and electrolyte imbalance caused by the scours.

Very Important Information!
 
Thanks for the replies - even though things have turned out well, I'll do a few things different next time based on your replies. The information on this board provided by veteran cattlemen and women has been very valuable to me.

I did give him an additional 2 quarts of electrolytes the next day and one quart the day after. I was sort of afraid that he wouldn't nurse enough if I filled him up, but it sounds like that isn't an issue.

The calf's manure has firmed up and I actually watched him kick up his back legs and run around in circles this morning.

The cooler weather has been welcome here. I don't know how folks in the south can stand it on a more regular basis.
 
badaxemoo":q6yx3z2j said:
3. Does anyone use calfguard (the oral immunization for scours protection)?

No, we don't use calfguard - but we do vaccinate with Scourgard3, and it has made a hugh difference in the number of cases of scours we have to treat for. We spring calve and, out of a herd of approximately 60 cows/heifers, we have had to treat 2-3 cases of scours for the last 4 years.

4. We have selenium deficient soils. Should I be giving the calves selenium shots? I mix some selenium in with the cattle's mineral.

Since you mix some selenium in with the mineral, I'm thinking this is a question for your vet.

Sorry for all the questions, but we are novices at this stuff.

Please don't apologize for an honest question - that is the way one learns. :)
 
Our vet is a one of those "common sense" old timers who has seen a whole lot of sick cattle in his 40+ years of practice. As he points out, we need to replace the water that the calf is pooping and peeing out. For example if it appears that that the calf is squirting out a couple quarts of liquid every two hours, we need to replace at least that amount of water back into the calf.

Because electrolytes are also lost in scouring, I will typically give the calf plain water half the time and water and electrolytes at the other feedings.

According to my vet, research has shown (not sure who did this research) that Baytril 100 is more effective in scouring calves than LA-200 and Nuflor. We've had good luck with it.

We are also in a selenium deficient area. In addition to providing the cows with a mineral that includes selenium (I believe around 28 ppm), we give our calves a shot of MUSE at birth. It doesn't cost much and we've never had a problem with white muscle disease since we started.
 
I would also watch closely your other calves, that bug may go to all your calves. I think it would be a good idea to give oral scour bolus as a preventive treatment.

mnmt
 
I just started doing this with my calves, right when they are born I give them 30-40cc of Bovamune, its a preventative against E. Coli, Slmonella, and a few other things. I did have a fewproblems, similar to this, and ever since I started doing this, no sickness, nothing. This can also be used as a treatment for E.coli, and salmonella,
at a different dosage.

I would keep it on a Vitamin supplement, such as enterolyte HE for a few days, but also feed it cows milk/milk replacer whichever you use, and a shot of Vitamin B. I also found this product called STAND UP, a oral paste which really works, I had a calf 3 months ago just like yours, gave it a tube of this, plus sub Q fluids, and by the evening it was up wanting to suck again.

Hope this helps

Gail
 
The best treament for me is IV. I think every body shoud learn to give IV electrolyte. When you do it yourself does'nt cost much and you are sure you give the best treatment. If this treatment does'nt work nothing will work. If your calf is strong enough give him oral electrolyte.
 

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