Causes of diarrhea in calves

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Livestock has always been a very profitable and popular pursuit. One of the most common areas of animal husbandry is the breeding of cattle, namely calves and cows. However, before you start working with such unpredictable animals, you need to know about the pitfalls. The main surprise that any novice or even experienced farmer may encounter is diarrhea (sometimes bloody), which mainly affects small calves. The article below will tell you why calves have diarrhea and what to do with this unpleasant phenomenon.

Calf diarrhea

Why does diarrhea appear?

The search for the true problem for a novice livestock breeder can take more than one hour, and without bringing any result. In order to stop diarrhea in calves, it is necessary to consider all possible options for its unexpected appearance. Knowing why diarrhea occurs will help prevent further development of the disease and determine how to properly treat the animal. The underlying causes of diarrhea in the calf can be hidden in some problems.

First of all, we are talking about weakened immunity. Since at the beginning of the life of newborn cattle, the immune system is practically absent, it is possible that certain diseases will appear, which include yellow diarrhea. This is due to the fact that initially the cow provided the animal with the necessary protection, but after birth and exit from the womb, the calf is under threat. When paying attention to a small calf, it is extremely important to pay attention to:

• correct feeding;
• the room in which the cow and calf are housed: it must be equipped in accordance with all the rules in compliance with hygiene standards;
• adherence to a clear diet;
• the use of herbs of inadequate quality.

Any of these options can easily have a detrimental effect on a small calf or cow. Food poisoning can also be a problem. According to statistics, food poisoning most often affects cattle, leading many of its representatives to death. Only a person can prevent food poisoning, because it is he who organizes the feeding and diet for livestock. All problems begin at the time of calving, when there is a transition from breast milk to other feeds. Due to a weak stomach, the animal cannot digest most of the food provided. In addition, it is through food that parasites and bacteria penetrate into the newborn's body. Often, bloody diarrhea and diarrhea are caused by eating or drinking milk that irritates the stomach walls. You need to treat any poisoning instantly.

The appearance of viruses in a weakened animal organism is a common phenomenon, it occurs daily. The calf is the target of many different viruses, of which the E. coli strain causes bloody diarrhea. The disease is characterized by transience and a large amount of discharge, which leads to exhaustion.As a result, the calf can die after a week of constant stress and exhaustion. The defeat occurs in the first couple of days of life and requires special treatment.

Rotavirus infection in newborn cattle can cause yellow diarrhea with a watery consistency, accompanied by a high fever. Among babies, coronavirus infection is also common, due to which calves develop green and yellow feces with mucous and bloody impurities. Often, the coronavirus can cause ulceration, a decrease in temperature, and a strong weakening of the immune system. White diarrhea causes colibacillosis infection, which enters the body with milk, which was in a polluted room.

Calf diarrhea is a disease to which one must not turn a blind eye, because very often such neglect leads to death. The causes of occurrence are varied, because a person, first of all, must closely observe the slightest changes in the life of a weekly or monthly calf.

How to identify diarrhea

If the causes of diarrhea in calves are varied and ambiguous, then the definition of the disease is much easier, because the symptoms are obvious. However, sometimes diarrhea is accompanied by additional symptoms. Concomitant symptoms that help to identify the disease in time are:

• dehydration, manifested in the absorption of more fluid by the calf than usual: a veterinarian should be called if the cattle drink 2 or 3 times the required amount of water;
• sinking eyes;
• dehydration of the skin;
• grinding teeth;
• lethargic state of the animal.

In the presence of diarrhea and several of the listed characteristics, there is a possibility of a blood disorder, the treatment of which should begin as soon as it is diagnosed. So how to treat calf diarrhea?

Medication for diarrhea

The first and logical question that arises for a farmer when an unpleasant disease appears is: "What should be given to calves for diarrhea?" Due to the weak body of the animal, the choice of the remedy should be as deliberate as possible. It is necessary to treat diarrhea in a calf by observing the following procedure:

• to eliminate the main reason why the calf was carried (with the help of antibiotics, serums);
• subject the animal to rehydration therapy (the introduction of intravenous drugs and large amounts of water);
• provide energy and vitamin saturation;
• carry out anti-inflammatory therapy.

Home treatment should treat dehydration, sometimes with antibiotics and oral fluids. In addition, it is important to purchase special auxiliary drugs that can effectively fight the disease. They must be used carefully, after consulting a doctor. The most commonly used treatments for diarrhea in calves are vaccinations, probiotics, and antibiotics.

Which to use

The drugs tested by many are considered effective, which we will consider in more detail below.

• Burnt alum is a powder that helps to eliminate ailment in a few days.
• Nitox is a sterile, strong, special solution for cattle, used as an injection. You do not need to stab the animal more than once.
• Tetracycline is an antibiotic sold in serum tablet form.
• Catosal is a medicine that has no analogues in pharmacology due to its wide range of functions and effectiveness. The drug is available as an injection.
• Levomycetin is a strong antibiotic. Affects the intestinal microflora. It is in the form of tablets and powder.
• Zinaprim is an oral medicine used to treat infections in the gastrointestinal tract.
• Ditrim is a strong injectable solution that helps to remove gastric and intestinal infections at home in a week.

Also, the right choice will be the drugs Trichopol and Tylosin. It should be remembered that the use of antibiotics for diarrhea in calves should be careful and moderate.You cannot use them without knowing the exact diagnosis or in case of uncertainty about the cause of your calf's diarrhea. Depending on how the baby feels, it will be appropriate to use drugs that eliminate ailments.

Drugs that eliminate dehydration can restore the amount of salt that a newborn baby needs. Such drugs are presented in pharmacology as powders and do not differ in a large number of contraindications. When diarrhea in calves is caused by intoxication, attention should be paid to absorbent agents. They slow down peristalsis. For digestive upset, enzyme preparations are appropriate. If the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract is disturbed, the use of probiotics is suitable, which are most effective in solving this issue.

It is necessary to apply all means in different ways, because in some cases their use is inappropriate, which in particular concerns milkmen. Sometimes a newborn will get by with one tablet, and sometimes you need to give injections or inject powder and solution. Unwise use of drugs can cause bloody diarrhea and other unpleasant consequences.

Thus, having learned how dangerous diarrhea in a calf can be, how to treat it will not be difficult. If you use special means, consult a doctor, a positive outcome of treatment will be ensured. You should not neglect consultation with a veterinarian, because often this or that antibiotic, this or that serum can be suitable for one cattle individual, but not benefit the young representatives.

ethnoscience

Sometimes the use of antibiotics in calves for diarrhea is impossible for a number of reasons. They can be varied: from lack of finance to the banal absence of veterinary clinics nearby. In such cases, you can trust folk remedies for diarrhea in calves. Despite the fact that their 100% effectiveness has not been proven, many of the farmers often use traditional medicine at home. However, it is still worth saying no to any procedures before talking to your veterinarian.

Treatment with medicinal decoctions is often carried out. Due to the fact that diarrhea in calves often have gastrointestinal diseases, it is necessary and possible to focus on the use of barley, oatmeal and rye broths. To prepare one of them, you need to pour 100 g of cereal with water, then boil the resulting mixture, stirring. Then the broth is filtered and given to the calf instead of milk. You can water the animal with a solution for several days, 5 times a day.

If the calf has carried it, then it is recommended to give it to drink with linseed broth, for which the flax seed is poured with liquid and boiled for one hour. As soon as the water boils away, it is topped up again. Before feeding the baby with a decoction, you need to hold the liquid filtered through gauze in the refrigerator for about 3 days. You can cure the disorder using rosehip infusion and a decoction with the addition of dry St. John's wort. For cooking, the ingredients are poured with a liter of boiling water, keeping for about 12 hours. You can give the strained broth 3 times a day instead of milk. Plantain leaves can get rid of a gastrointestinal infection.

Mixture therapy can be effective even for severe diarrhea. The main advantage of blends is that they are easy to prepare and use. The products discussed below are used by many breeders.

• Tea solution, which requires 1 liter of brewed tea (only black is suitable). Tea is mixed with 3 egg whites and 1 tbsp. l. salt. The mixture is stirred and given to the calf for a month at the rate of 10 kg per 1 kg of animal weight.
• The cleaning mixture consists of beetroot juice. To prepare it, you need to take an enema and about half a liter of juice. An enema should be done every 2 hours. Suitable for the treatment of both a common disorder and blood.

In the treatment of diarrhea, a person often resorts to the use of a solution of salt.The saline solution removes toxins from the body by retaining fluid in it, restoring the supply of minerals. You can also try it for treating animals. For preparation, dilute with about 5 tsp. salt in water. After waiting for it to cool, they begin to water the calf with a solution, doing this throughout the day. But you need to be careful: salt can cause vomiting.

Sometimes the treatment of such ailments at home is carried out using baked bread. It is able to cleanse the intestinal system. To use bread, you need to bake it well and grind it into powder, then start periodically adding it to the feed. It is possible to get rid of diarrhea with folk remedies, but at the same time it is necessary to take the entire risk of the procedures performed on yourself.

Prevention as a method of prevention

Treating diarrhea is a difficult and painstaking process that sometimes even an adult cow cannot tolerate. In order to prevent the onset of the disease, you need to do its prevention in time. Sometimes prevention is considered a much more effective and relatively cheap option compared to other means (even traditional ones).

The following preventive measures can prevent the disease from appearing:

• Often the causes of many diseases lie in improper sanitary and hygienic care. This also applies to young cows: it is necessary to monitor the cleanliness and safety of the premises, as well as the protection of individuals from extreme heat and frost.
• There will be no need to treat livestock if the cow is vaccinated in a timely manner: the vaccine will give the baby a better chance of survival and living in critical environmental conditions.
• The quality of colostrum should also be at its best - it is important to try to control its abundance and quality together with a doctor.
• The calf and cow must be protected from contact with the manure of other livestock and animals, because this is a real source of viruses and bacteria. Where possible, temporary isolation from other livestock should be established.
• Poor-quality food can easily cause disorder, therefore it is necessary to ensure that the food includes all the necessary vitamins and minerals.
• It is impossible to cure diarrhea without observing a strict diet and drinking regime.

Failure to follow even one of the tips can lead to diarrhea, and therefore an increase in calf mortality.

Now you know the danger of diarrhea in newborn calves, which must be treated carefully and quickly. It also became clear whether it was possible to give antibiotics to calves against diarrhea. In order to identify the approach of the disease, it is extremely important to pay attention to the animal: does it constantly drink water instead of milk, does it grind its teeth, or vilify it with blood. It is extremely important not to forget that an animal, and even more so a newborn organism, needs exceptionally healthy and proper food, and proper care. The causes of the disease are sometimes so unexpected that they take the farmer by surprise.