Calf Scours

[beefem]

I had a 350 lb. steer come down with the scours. It lived a week and then died. He lost a lot of weight and was very weak. I had had the calf for approx. 6 months. The day before he died, he nibbled at hay and we even turned him in our lawn to eat some of the tender grass. I feel that he may have gotten a piece of wire or metal in him. What do you think?

 

[Scotty]

Sounds to me like he got sick and dehidrated. When they get the scours you need to act as quick as posible. Give oral SMZ tablets and keep fluids in them.



Scotty

 

[certherfbeef]

Also sounds to me like he was sick alot longer that one week.

Only way to know for sure if it was hardware is to go fishing...

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Did you have him tested...necropsy? It sounds like there was something going on inside of him for more than a week. Something that was slowly "brewing" and not outwardly obvious righ away.

Katherine

 

[TheBullLady]

It could have been coccidiosis, with some sort of later virus or bacteria involvement while he was sick. They do need to be kept rehydrated.. that's generally the cause of death in scours.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Amanda Michelle]

Sounds to me as if he had that problem for more than a week, Hardware is a strong possibilty if you suspected he ate some wire, they will get a high temperature, lose appitite and get the scours, a possible solution would have been to give him a magnet. This would have put the wire, along with the magnet back in the first stomach where it would be out of harms way, and stay there, providing it wasn't too late. Also 3 asprin 3 times a day if the temperature was up, along with some excenel or penecillin incase of infection.