Calf with scours

[SmalltimeOkie]

Have a longhorn bottle calf (She has become my entire extended family's photo prop and pet) who was running around and happy last night and drank her normal amount of milk. This morning she is clearly not feeling well she is lethargic and didn't even get up to come eat. She has yellowish/green poop and didn't drink nearly as much milk as she normally does. We took her temperature with a digital thermometer and it's 103. Some of the poop still has texture and some is watery. She is being raised on fresh goat's milk. She is 26 days old today.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

I have raised four bottle calves that have scoured and this is what my vet said. Go to a feed store and buy 6 packets of Re Sorb. It is an electrolyte powder you mix with warm water that also has glucose so they have energy and feel better. The first day give 2 feedings, the second day give 2. Do not give anything except Re Sorb, no extra milk. The third and forth day for each feeding give half Re Sorb and half milk for They will usually take straight Re Sorb from a bottle if they are not too far gone, in that case you have to give by tube feeder.

 

[coachg]

Even though she acts hungry cut her amount of milk down . Should be able to get scour tablets at your local co op . If it’s not bloody that’s a good sign . Also might want to get some electrolytes down it .

 

[Ridgetop]

Cut the milk too when giving the ReSorb. Have you checked for Coccidiosis and worms? With the amount of rain in southeast Texas several of my friends have lost large numbers of lambs and kids due to Cocci and worms. These are people that have been selecting for parasite resistance for years and normally have no parasites or Cocci.

 

[SmalltimeOkie]

Cut the milk too when giving the ReSorb. Have you checked for Coccidiosis and worms? With the amount of rain in southeast Texas several of my friends have lost large numbers of lambs and kids due to Cocci and worms. These are people that have been selecting for parasite resistance for years and normally have no parasites or Cocci.

Hasn't rained here in the entire month of June. Unfortunately... but I was going to go ahead and give her some Corrid. I could get her some Ivermectin at the same time.

 

[Hereford2]

When I have a calf with scours, I give them bottle of milk 4 hours later bottle of electrolytes, 4 hours later Another bottle of electrolytes, 4 hours later Another bottle of milk that way they're getting 2 gallons of liquid in their system which keeps most calves on their feet nursing. Dehydration kills faster than anything else,. If your calf won't nurse and it needs tubed, there are very good How to Tube videos on YouTube. Also A 5ML shot of BComplex helps stimulate their appetite. If I have a calf that isn't already drinking a full bottle of milk, twice a day. I will give another bottle of electrolytes 4 hours after the second bottle of milk.

 

[GoWyo]

Is she dehydrated? Pinch test on the neck skin. If the skin doesn't immediately return flat then she's dehydrated.

 

[SmalltimeOkie]

I got outvoted by the powers that be so she is going to the vet.

 

[TCRanch]

Glad you took her to the vet and hope she's doing well. The higher temp is as much a concern as the scours. For future reference:

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

It will be interesting to find out what the vet said.

I'm raising 3 bottle calves right now and two of them scoured. It can be caused by bacteria, viruses or protozoans such as coccidia. Calves also get milk scours. I may have gone up on their milk ration too fast or gave them too much. The calf's true stomach is small. So if they get too much it flows into their undeveloped rumen and creates a yellow liquid stool.

I milk my cow and give them bottles. Winona is Honeydews own calf. A few weeks ago she got scours, diarrhea from any cause that calves can die from. It has various causes but what kills them is dehydration and serum electrolyte imbalance. Her poop looked like the photo for rota virus. When diarrhea has gone on too long they won't drink from a bottle because they are sick and you have to tube it, put a tube down into their stomach with the stuff in a bag and let it flow in.

Winona was a big strong heavy month old calf by then and she had zero interest in her bottle. She had a weak suck reflex. We were tubing her resorb and all of a sudden the fluid backed up and was coming out her mouth and she inhaled some. It was like she drowned. She stood gasping with her head down with a high respiratory rate- another way the blood chemistry can go haywire, respiratory acidosis.

I left the stall and came back. She was down and could not get up. I thought she was going to die. So I bent over picked her up on her feet. This pulled my shoulder out of joint (not too badly, add this to my list of injuries) and brought her out of the barn so she could lie with her head and body downhill to help drain. She had gotten ¾ of the 1st​resorb dose.

I could not stand around worrying over her so I went to the feed store. When I came back she was still lying there and buzzards were circling. This was not good. I went over there and she got up on her own. Later I brought a bottle with resorb in it and she sucked it down. All the other doses too (total, 6 feedings) and is now a big strong girl like her near death experience had never happened.