Hi, I'm farming in the Scottish Highlands and I'm having problems with calf illness/deaths. Can anyone help if I post the symptoms and problems here? The vets and veterinary lab don't have any idea what it is! It's mainly effecting Angus bull calves around a month old. It's my first year with an Angus bull after using Limousin for years. Calves go down quickly with scour, fitting, groaning, sensitive to touch and other stomach problems. The heiffers respond to treatment of electrolyte, micotil and baytril max. All the calves have been treated with selinium now. The only thing the vet could think of is white muscle disease. I was just wondering if anyone had come across this before. Many thanks
New to the Forum - calf problems
- Thread starter Red Limmo
- Start date
Red Bull Breeder
Well-known member
Welcome to the boards. I don't no what your problem is but there is some pretty sharp folks on the boards, some one will have some advice.
Thanks,
I have got a really good vet and this is frustrating the hell out of her, Only got thirty cows in this bunch and have lost seven calves, Wondering if it may be genetic?
Looking at all possibilitys, our cows are all calved inside a barn, ( too darn wet and cold in Scotland ) Gonna calve outside in May next year
I have got a really good vet and this is frustrating the hell out of her, Only got thirty cows in this bunch and have lost seven calves, Wondering if it may be genetic?
Looking at all possibilitys, our cows are all calved inside a barn, ( too darn wet and cold in Scotland ) Gonna calve outside in May next year
rockridgecattle
Well-known member
Need more information
how old are the calves when they get sick
Were they after birth or the cows before calving, vaccinated for scours
History of BVD, IBR
tested for colostridium diease
Tested for roto virus, corona virus
have they been tested for cryposprodia
fever/temp
respirtory problems?
Color of the poo
did they get timely colostrum...first 6 hours after birth
stressfull birth?
Scours happen with wet ground, dirty conditions, inclement weather, crowding
Good idea if you can to keep the calving area separate from winter feeding area. Bring the cows in just a couple of weeks before calving starts. This minimized the bacteria and virus build up for the calves. Calves are born with zero immunity and thus pick up any thing around until the passive transfer of colostrum is absorbed into the system. Next would be a good idea to, if you can separate the cow calf pairs from the cows that are pregnant. This would help to keep the area for both groups cleaner.
Good bedding and shelter are keys in fighting scours as well as once it starts, move them out of the infected area and spread them out to minimize passing it on.
Check out the pfizer web site and look at the scour section
Check out a post, do a search. It's one that i wrote from a scour semiar i went to. It was a dinner put on by our vet and had a head vet from pfizer there to talk about scour management in the way of prevention
The post was titled "wowza wowza"
Keep up with the electrolytes, scouring calves get dehydrated real fast. Some require tubing 2x a day.
The barn might have something to do with the problem. Might be a good idea to clean and disinfect the barn when the animals are moved away
how old are the calves when they get sick
Were they after birth or the cows before calving, vaccinated for scours
History of BVD, IBR
tested for colostridium diease
Tested for roto virus, corona virus
have they been tested for cryposprodia
fever/temp
respirtory problems?
Color of the poo
did they get timely colostrum...first 6 hours after birth
stressfull birth?
Scours happen with wet ground, dirty conditions, inclement weather, crowding
Good idea if you can to keep the calving area separate from winter feeding area. Bring the cows in just a couple of weeks before calving starts. This minimized the bacteria and virus build up for the calves. Calves are born with zero immunity and thus pick up any thing around until the passive transfer of colostrum is absorbed into the system. Next would be a good idea to, if you can separate the cow calf pairs from the cows that are pregnant. This would help to keep the area for both groups cleaner.
Good bedding and shelter are keys in fighting scours as well as once it starts, move them out of the infected area and spread them out to minimize passing it on.
Check out the pfizer web site and look at the scour section
Check out a post, do a search. It's one that i wrote from a scour semiar i went to. It was a dinner put on by our vet and had a head vet from pfizer there to talk about scour management in the way of prevention
The post was titled "wowza wowza"
Keep up with the electrolytes, scouring calves get dehydrated real fast. Some require tubing 2x a day.
The barn might have something to do with the problem. Might be a good idea to clean and disinfect the barn when the animals are moved away
rockridgecattle
Well-known member
I should add to examine the poo of a calf with scours it needs to be an untreated animal...probably already new that though...
Hi rockridgecattle,
Good to find a site like this, there are problems other folks have got which i might be able to help them with,
The calves are a month old, really big and fit.
The cows were done with scour vaccine and the lab showed up no rota; corona or crypto, there was a bit of muscle degeneration at autopsy. put one under the heat lamp, went to get lactade, came back and got a dead calf ( burst left ventrical in heart ! lab said )
Temperature was normal 35 to 37,
The scour is grey to very dark brown, that showed no bugs, their breathing was loud and laboured, couldnt believe it when autopsy said no lung damage, have checked for lead poison too.
We had a bad summer last year and wonder if it stressed the cows during pregnancy? never a dry day, they calve themselves and get up and suck no problem, havent been to Manitoba yet but had two weeks driving round Alberta in September 05, Well worth seeing
Good to find a site like this, there are problems other folks have got which i might be able to help them with,
The calves are a month old, really big and fit.
The cows were done with scour vaccine and the lab showed up no rota; corona or crypto, there was a bit of muscle degeneration at autopsy. put one under the heat lamp, went to get lactade, came back and got a dead calf ( burst left ventrical in heart ! lab said )
Temperature was normal 35 to 37,
The scour is grey to very dark brown, that showed no bugs, their breathing was loud and laboured, couldnt believe it when autopsy said no lung damage, have checked for lead poison too.
We had a bad summer last year and wonder if it stressed the cows during pregnancy? never a dry day, they calve themselves and get up and suck no problem, havent been to Manitoba yet but had two weeks driving round Alberta in September 05, Well worth seeing
Got a call from vet tonight, they are pretty sure it may be Selenium problems as it can wreck the heart muscles.
Im tempted to give the Angus a trip to market next thursday, too much of a pattern with the bull calves!
Dont heifers suffer from selenium def too? :? The bull came over from the states as an ET
Im tempted to give the Angus a trip to market next thursday, too much of a pattern with the bull calves!
Dont heifers suffer from selenium def too? :? The bull came over from the states as an ET
