please help me with scouring calf.

[Beefy]

i have a calf, pulled on march 1st. her head was sort of swollen. she was up right away and i gave her the Bovine IgG Escherichia Coli Antibody Immu-Start 50 Dry colostrum. she took it all. the calf has been getting milk replacer since then. on the 10th i gave her a bottle in the morning and then when i realized she had started to scour (orange juice consistency) i gave her 2 sulfur bolus and gave her a bottle of water that afternoon. the next day she was better and i gave her half milkreplacer half water and 1 sulfur bolus (all i had) and went to store and got more boluses and some AbsorbIt stuff for scouring calves. gave her one pack of Absorbit electrolyte for scouring calves (says to feed that twice a day for two days and no milk but anyway). This morning i gave her the other Absorbit. mom gave calf bottle of water at 3. and now tonight she is stumbling and only half heartedly sucking. i tried to give her some diluted milk replacer tonite and i maybe got her to take 3 pints off and on. This calf from the start has been taking one full bottle and wanting more and mooing constantly like shes hungry. i'm really discouraged tonite that she has lost her spunk for eating and is woozy. ive seen them go down too many times. please help. i didnt give scour boluses with the absorbit b/c i dint think that would be a good idea. what should i do. her nose is cool.


should i hit her with more sulfur boluses tonite in her weakening state? her poop looks better today, its more thicker consistency and offwhite like it was yesterday.

 

[fourstates]

The calf needs electrolytes. Water is not enough, in a pinch use pedialyte. You should be able to get that 24 hours a day. Warm it to 100 degrees( F). Keep the calf warm and feed replacer 2hrs after the pedialyte, you may have to tube it. If you can't tube it and it won't drink, You have to call a vet.

 

[tom4018]

We have had good luck using a product called Deliver on scouring calves. The stuffs gels up, I think it helps them retian the nutrition you give them instead of running right thru them.

 

[Keren]

It sounds like you are doing alright . . . with scouring bottle raised animals I alternate between feedings of milk and electrolytes. It is so important not to cut out the milk because they do need that for the energy. The funny thing is, I have found that an anti-scour (cant spell the other word) for human babies works really well. As do junket tablets . . . dont know if you get them there.

But really, I think just keep trying. Dont give up on her. Tube her if she wont suck.

And you might want to give Alice a PM (the calf guru :lol: )

Oh, and give the calf some probiotics!

 

[Beefy]

those AbsorbIts are some kind of electrolytes especially for scouring calves. the directions on that say to feed it twice a day with no milk for two days. i was like whatever, i'm disregarding that. the calf needs some milk. the boluses FOR SCOURS also say for calves over one month of age...

 

[milkmaid]

and that label direction makes no sense... most cases of scours are under 30 days. Some of those Sustain labels don't have a dosage for animals under 400lbs, either.

 

[Beefy]

and that label direction makes no sense... most cases of scours are under 30 days. Some of those Sustain labels don't have a dosage for animals under 400lbs, either.

oh i know. i'm like how can the vet and vet supply man say these are the best when it says on the lable not for calves under one month of age that are scouring? and y'all wonder why us men never read the directions...

 

[angie1]

http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/dpi/nreninf.n ... EA00273B5A
Traditional thinking on treating scours was that milk feeding should cease, or at least be reduced. However, milk contains the best source of energy for calves, while some electrolyte treatments contain insufficient energy to maintain a sick calf. It is dangerous to withdraw milk for more than 24 to 48 hours as the intestinal wall will degenerate and lose its capacity to secrete enzymes that digest lactose. Many authorities now recommend withholding milk for no more than 24 hours, or even not at all.

In recent years, some farmers who routinely feed milk replacer have changed their formulation from 500 g of milk powder in 4 L water to 500 g powder in 2L of water. They have found this reduction in fluid volume, to provide the same quantity of milk nutrients to calves, has 2 beneficial effects. Firstly, it stimulates their appetite for concentrates at a younger age, because there is less distension in their abomasum after milk feeding. Secondly, it reduces scour problems, presumably because of reduced likelihood of undigested milk escaping into the intestine.
(In other words same amount of milk replacer ~ less water, mix your replacer rich)

Don't stop giving the electrolytes, don't mix the milk with the electrolytes unless the directions say it is acceptable. Make sure you are giving probiotics. Electrolytes a couple hours after the replacer. Calves will starve to death fast w/o milk replacer.

Article has lots of info I don't have time right now to highlight more. but I hope this helps you.

 

[rockridgecattle]

you are doing well. The calf needs time now to heal. Keep up the milk and electrolyes. check the temp to make sure a secondary infection did not set in. With a scour baby the nose is not enough sometimes to tell.
Reduce the amount of liquid but keep up the protien in the milk.

again you are doing well.


RR

 

[larryshoat]

The only hope of winning with a scouring calf is to put fluid in the front end faster than it comes out the back end . Continue with milk, as Angie said it can be a little on the rich side and you can put in a handful of oatmeal . Lactated ringers under the skin in the neck would be the best way to add some extra fluid, if you can get it. To feed milk rather than a tube cut the end out of a nipple (oatmeal wont go through a tube) make him swallow it . His nose is cold because of low cardiac output, he is just running out of fluid .If you got time space out your fluid feedings so he gets some every couple of hours.

Larry

 

[DavisBeefmasters]

Feed the little bugger "Scour-Ease" (also known as "Optimil Complete")... it's a scour guard, electrolyte, probiotic all wrapped up into 1 bottle 2 to 3x per day...

Ease of labor and works well.

 

[Beefy]

thanks for all the help. shes gone.

 

[angie1]

dang. sorry.

 

[larryshoat]

Sorry Beefy, you sure as heck can't win em all . You did your best and I respect that .

Larry

 

[DavisBeefmasters]

Bummer... sorry for the loss.