Treating calves with scour is unfortunately part and parcel of rearing calves.
It is unlikely you will make it through the whole calf-rearing period without having to treat a calf.
There are different forms of scour, it can be caused by parasites, viruses, bacteria and even over feeding of milk.
Scour caused by parasites are caused by Cryptosporidia and Coccidia. Viruses are caused by Rotavirus and Coronavirus. Bacterial scour is caused by bacteria such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli (E. Coli).
Scour
Scour is the biggest killer of calves on farms under one month of age. Ensuring calves get adequate high-quality colostrum is an important prevention step.
Calves that show symptoms need to be separated from other calves and treated.
Keeping scouring calves hydrated is important; continue to feed these calves milk, along with electrolytes in a separate feed.
Sick calves should be given 3-4L of electrolytes – spaced out evenly throughout the day – along with their daily feed of milk or milk replacer.
In extreme cases intravenous fluids may be needed, and your vet should be promptly called if this is the case.
A treatment of antibiotics can be administered to prevent any secondary infection.
Prevention
As the saying goes ‘prevention is better than cure’. You will find it hard to completely elimate scour on your farm, but you can reduce its impact.
Before calves enter the shed and after they leave it, the shed should be thoroughly disinfected.
If scour is an issue take samples and have them analysed; this will allow you to select a disinfectant that kills the bacterium, parasite or virus in question.
Ensure that all feeders are kept clean during the rearing period as bacteria can easily build up on feeders that are not cleaned.
Control access to your calf shed so infections are not introduced from an outside source.