Diarrhea in calves

Kälberdurchfall gross
Calf diarrhea is a common disease in dairy calves constituting the single most important cause of mortality in pre-weaned heifer calves. Calf diarrhea has the highest annual costs for treatment and control of any disease in dairy cattle, exceeding the treatment and control costs for mastitis, respiratory disease or lameness.1 Calf diarrhea is also an important cause of morbidity and mortality in beef calves.2

In the calf ranches, calves are facing multiple challenges which cause increased risk of diarrhea. These include:

  • Receiving calves from multiple sources
  • co-mingling
  • high pathogen exposure
  • transport stress
  • environmental stress and
  • insufficient colostrum feeding.3

The treatment of diarrhoeic calves can be directed against the pathogens involved when these are bacteria or coccidia, whereas viruses cannot be treated, and cryptosporidia are difficult to defeat. Pain killing may also be used. The most important treatment of calves with diarrhea is to give oral rehydration therapy (ORT) solution to resuscitate the animals. A range of ORT products exists on the market with different characteristics. The ideal ORT product for treating mildly to moderately dehydrated calves should contain multiple agents such as glucose, glycine, electrolytes, acetate, propionate and bicarbonate. These agents facilitate intestinal sodium and water absorption, provide energy, rehydrate, and counteract the metabolic acidosis which is commonly seen in connection with diarrhea.4

References

1. Weigler BJ, et al. Veterinary and non-veterinary costs of diseases in 29 California dairies participating in the national Animal Health Monitoring System from 1988 to 1989. Prev. Vet. Med. 1990;196:1945-1949.
2. Barrington GM, et al. Biosecurity for neonatal intestinal diseases. Veterinary Clinics of North America – Food Animal Practice 2002:7-34.
3. Smith DR, et al. Managing to Alleviate Calf Scours: The Sandhills Calving System. The Range Beef Cow Symposium XVIII, Dec 9, 2003.
4. Constable PD, et al. Comparison of Two Oral Electrolyte Solutions for the Treatment of Dehydrated Calves with Experimentally-Induced Diarrhoea. The Veterinary Journal 2001;162.2:129-40.