It is always good to refresh ourselves around the basics of calf health before calves start landing on the ground.
We know that the best outcome of any treatment is to identify animals early and spot disease quickly.
We all know how, with chronic cases of pneumonia or calves down with scour, it can be hard to save them.
If we can pick up clinical signs early we can have much better results.
These systems come at a cost and for most we must rely heavily on close observation at least twice a day
To do this, we must focus on and be familiar with the normal – bright eyes, ears up, breathing normally, with no staining around the back end.
Even watching calves feed can be a great time to pick out a sick calf early.
Automatic feeders will help us, along with new devices like ear tags that measure temperature.
These systems come at a cost and for most we must rely heavily on close observation at least twice a day.
Spotting a case early also has the advantage of reducing the risk of spread.
The principles of any infectious disease control are early identification and removing the source of infection.
When it comes to scour, this is really important as infected animals shed millions of pathogens in their dung.
Calves with pneumonia can also spread viruses and bacteria to calves close by.
This is where isolation or hospital pens work really well.
They allow us to remove the source of infection but also a sick calf always requires more attention. Isolation pens should be easy to clean out after each calf and be separate to other calves, especially young ones.
Plastic is the easiest surface to clean and having a heat source is vital, especially if dealing with a dehydrated calf.
If using heat lamps, make sure they are at the right height and don’t burn calves.
With any sick calf, a tip to tail examination is crucial to identify any problems
Put your own hand under to make sure the temperature is warm but not too hot. This is also a place for calf jackets to go on to sick or weak calves.
Make sure they are hot-washed between sick calves. Never underestimate the problem a cold calf faces and even warming up electrolytes and milk can help.
When we have lots of scouring calves, isolation becomes impossible.
Then we need to manage batches of calves and moving calves can only lead to spreading infection further.
With any sick calf, a tip to tail examination is crucial to identify any problems. In young calves, it is really important to feel the navel for any swelling or pain.
Also use a digital thermometer to check the rectal temp. The normal temperature for a calf is between 37.5-39°C.
Low temperatures mean we need to rehydrate and provide a heat source.
Right diagnosis
High temperatures mean there is some source of inflammation or infection. This is where working with your own vet and deciding next steps and decision-making is so important. When using antibiotics to treat infections, always:
Make the right diagnosis.Treat the right animals.Use the right antibiotic.Use the right dose.For the right duration or length of time.Use the right storage and disposal.With ever-increasing focus on our use of antibiotics, we must do everything to use them correctly. Sometimes we overuse antibiotics and potentially don’t use enough anti-inflammatory medicines. These on their own or combined with antibiotics can be very beneficial, particularly when treating pneumonia.
We must remember when we talk about calf scour that most agents are actually viral or parasitic, like cryptosporidium. Research has shown that using oral antibiotics in these cases has little or no benefit.
Hydration
With sick calves, it is so important to make sure we keep them hydrated, especially scouring calves losing up to 6-8l of fluid daily. A minimum of 2l twice daily of oral electrolytes need to be given as early as possible.
So that is a total of 4l of fluids, and it is absolutely critical to continue milk feeding.
Next week, we will look at scour prevention, fluid therapy and control in much more detail.
For now, focus on knowing the normal, purchase a digital thermometer and get in early to treat calves.
It is so important to have a good close working relationship with your vet to develop treatment plans for sick calves.
This ensures best practice and also allows us review things that might not be working. Every calf counts this spring and remember always focus on preventing disease to minimise treatments.
It is always good to refresh ourselves around the basics of calf health before calves start landing on the ground.
We know that the best outcome of any treatment is to identify animals early and spot disease quickly.
We all know how, with chronic cases of pneumonia or calves down with scour, it can be hard to save them.
If we can pick up clinical signs early we can have much better results.
These systems come at a cost and for most we must rely heavily on close observation at least twice a day
To do this, we must focus on and be familiar with the normal – bright eyes, ears up, breathing normally, with no staining around the back end.
Even watching calves feed can be a great time to pick out a sick calf early.
Automatic feeders will help us, along with new devices like ear tags that measure temperature.
These systems come at a cost and for most we must rely heavily on close observation at least twice a day.
Spotting a case early also has the advantage of reducing the risk of spread.
The principles of any infectious disease control are early identification and removing the source of infection.
When it comes to scour, this is really important as infected animals shed millions of pathogens in their dung.
Calves with pneumonia can also spread viruses and bacteria to calves close by.
This is where isolation or hospital pens work really well.
They allow us to remove the source of infection but also a sick calf always requires more attention. Isolation pens should be easy to clean out after each calf and be separate to other calves, especially young ones.
Plastic is the easiest surface to clean and having a heat source is vital, especially if dealing with a dehydrated calf.
If using heat lamps, make sure they are at the right height and don’t burn calves.
With any sick calf, a tip to tail examination is crucial to identify any problems
Put your own hand under to make sure the temperature is warm but not too hot. This is also a place for calf jackets to go on to sick or weak calves.
Make sure they are hot-washed between sick calves. Never underestimate the problem a cold calf faces and even warming up electrolytes and milk can help.
When we have lots of scouring calves, isolation becomes impossible.
Then we need to manage batches of calves and moving calves can only lead to spreading infection further.
With any sick calf, a tip to tail examination is crucial to identify any problems. In young calves, it is really important to feel the navel for any swelling or pain.
Also use a digital thermometer to check the rectal temp. The normal temperature for a calf is between 37.5-39°C.
Low temperatures mean we need to rehydrate and provide a heat source.
Right diagnosis
High temperatures mean there is some source of inflammation or infection. This is where working with your own vet and deciding next steps and decision-making is so important. When using antibiotics to treat infections, always:
Make the right diagnosis.Treat the right animals.Use the right antibiotic.Use the right dose.For the right duration or length of time.Use the right storage and disposal.With ever-increasing focus on our use of antibiotics, we must do everything to use them correctly. Sometimes we overuse antibiotics and potentially don’t use enough anti-inflammatory medicines. These on their own or combined with antibiotics can be very beneficial, particularly when treating pneumonia.
We must remember when we talk about calf scour that most agents are actually viral or parasitic, like cryptosporidium. Research has shown that using oral antibiotics in these cases has little or no benefit.
Hydration
With sick calves, it is so important to make sure we keep them hydrated, especially scouring calves losing up to 6-8l of fluid daily. A minimum of 2l twice daily of oral electrolytes need to be given as early as possible.
So that is a total of 4l of fluids, and it is absolutely critical to continue milk feeding.
Next week, we will look at scour prevention, fluid therapy and control in much more detail.
For now, focus on knowing the normal, purchase a digital thermometer and get in early to treat calves.
It is so important to have a good close working relationship with your vet to develop treatment plans for sick calves.
This ensures best practice and also allows us review things that might not be working. Every calf counts this spring and remember always focus on preventing disease to minimise treatments.
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: