IV for Scours?

[Stocker Steve]

We have been following the standard scours treatment directions - - two days on electrolytes and then start building back with milk. They mention IV therapy as an option. Have you seen success with this?

 

[Ebenezer]

Works good. Put it in the flank area. Need to get ringers lactate from a Vet made for animals.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Works good. Put it in the flank area. Need to get ringers lactate from a Vet made for animals.

It seems like some calves get weak and just can not come back with a drench.
Do you have a higher success rate with IV?

 

[wbvs58]

Works good. Put it in the flank area. Need to get ringers lactate from a Vet made for animals.

Putting it in the flank is not giving it IV.

Ken

 

[TCRanch]

100% positive results when my vet has done it but that's only in extreme cases - and in the jugular vein. Since I started giving First Defense (preferably within 12 hours) I rarely have scours bad enough to need any treatment. Are you also giving Sustain, Terramycin or other scour bolus?

 

[Stocker Steve]

I was using Sustain III. Seemed to work OK as long as you caught them early.

I recently switched to an injectable antibiotic, and they usually bounce back in a couple hours, but them sometimes relapse...

 

[gcreekrch]

I was using Sustain III. Seemed to work OK as long as you caught them early.

I recently switched to an injectable antibiotic, and they usually bounce back in a couple hours, but them sometimes relapse...

Are you vaccinating your cow herd? it takes a good vaccination program, a good feeding program and a mineral built for YOUR operation with Rumensin ( coccidiostat ) and Bio Moss mixed in to make the difference you want to see.

We still get scours but they are treatable. I have gotten good enough at spotting them I know the calf is sick before it does. That takes far more practice doctoring than I care to do again. Last year they were far less than ever and this year is better yet.

Rule of thumb here for antibiotics is under 10 days they are treated with Trimidox (Borgal) and over 10 days Liquamycin LA. Most respond immediately if they are caught soon enough.


Other drugs come into play if they persist.

To answer your question..... Yes, IV will save many of those calves that can't digest what you are giving them orally. It takes a lot of practice, frustration and perseverance to become proficient at picking up the jugular with an IV catheter but the percentage of live calves as a reward is greater.

 

[Kjfred]

Seems like if they still have enough energy to stand the drench works most of the time. If it's gone too far IV is the only way to rehydrate as the gut won't absorb much at that point. Full disclosure- I've not done the iv route myself but after a scours epidemic in a group of dairy calves I learned a lot, wish I would have practiced iv on those.
Steve- have you had higher than usual cases of scours this year? We had a heck of a time with it in the April born beef calves

 

[Silver]

Something else to consider with dehydrated calves is hypothermia. Any dehydrated calf will have a low core body temperature.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Steve- have you had higher than usual cases of scours this year? We had a heck of a time with it in the April born beef calves

I had not treated a scours case for 10 years. This year we had a bunch in April and May. Late spring and more cattle created a corral caving mess.