Treating a scouring calf is unfortunately an issue that has to be dealt with on the vast-majority of Irish dairy farms.
Scour in a calf can be caused by a number of bacteria, viruses and parasites.
Parasites that cause scour are Cryptosporidia and Coccidia; scour-causing viruses include Rotavirus and Coronavirus; and bacteria-causing scour are Salmonella and Escherichia coli (E. Coli).
Many scours cannot be treated with antibiotics, as these are ineffective against viruses and parasites.
Some vets also advise the use of anti-inflammatory drugs in calves with scour to help with pain management, however this should be recommended by your vet.
Scouring calf
Speaking on a recent Teagasc webinar, Catherine McAloon from University College Dublin (UCD) Veterinary School outlined how farmers should treat a calf with scour.
McAloon stated: “Regardless of the cause of the scour the treatment process is largely the same and the mainstay of the treatment is replacing the fluids and electrolytes that are lost from scour.”
McAloon added that this revolves around getting the calf to consume electrolytes in water, as well as milk feeds.
She noted that a number of studies have proven that continuing to feed milk to scouring calves along with electrolytes can speed up recovery.
McAloon advised that farmers consider offering scouring calves electrolytes in the middle of the day and late in the evening, separate from milk.
“The idea behind electrolytes is getting extra fluids into the calf and although many of the products can be given in milk, that largely defeats the purpose,” she said.
“Electrolytes should be given in water, completely separate to the milk feed.”
McAloon noted that even mildly effected calves will benefited from electrolytes and unlike milk or milk replacer, these can be given to older calves via stomach tubing.
Isolate
McAloon also advised farmers to isolate calves that have scour from the rest of the calves in the pen.
She noted that although this can often be difficult, by removing the calf from the pen you are reducing the potential for bacteria/virus to be spread to other calves.
She advised that sick calves should be isolated in a warm environment for the duration of the treatment.