scoured calves

[copperhead46]

Well, I thought I was out of the woods with these two holstien calves, but yesterday I noticed loose stools from them and today it is just brown water. I don't really know how much milk they are getting, I just let them nurse the cow (Jersey). I gave them both an imodium pill and 3 cc's of pennicillun. Should I keep them off the cow in the morning? they have had access to calf creep, so I took that away tonight, and just gave them hay. They are about 35 days old.
P.J.

[TSYORK]

For future reference, Immodium is a NO-NO! Pepto Bismol and the like is okay, but Immodium can kill one.

[copperhead46]

Yikes!!! I didn't know that, I used to give Pepto all the time, but didn't have any. I raised baby calves for several years but haven't had any for at least 15 years. I was hoping there was something new out there. Well, I'm on my way to the barn, if I haven't killed them, someone have any other ideas of what to do??
P.J.

[Madsaw]

PJ
You had that cold nasty weather move through just the other day too? I would say for their age and being spring time. I would treat them for pnuemonia. A very mild case will show up as scours first then progress to a very sick animal. At this stage a sulfa based drug should work good. If they get a cough I would use darxxin or nuflur.
Bob

[copperhead46]

OK, Bob, thanks. I didn't think about the bad weather possibly getting to them. I kept them up in the shed, but they could have gotten too cold anyway. I got some scour pills from the vet today and I have nuflur, so I'll give them a shot, too. When I fed them this morning the stools we're a little more solid, but still really loose, but at least it wasn't water, like it was yesterday.
P.J.

[Madsaw]

PJ
The up and down spring weather really is hard on cattle. Its a really hard time of yr for us here in wis. Sometimes you can just let them go and they get better on their own, btu it takes time. It slows down growth and they might just get sicker. So, its best to treat and get them back going full tilt right away.
Bob

[copperhead46]

They were a lot better this morning, the stools were solid again. They weren't showing any signs of stress, or sickness, just the watery stool, so.........maybe I caught it before they got any worse. They were hungry and ready to go this morning, so after they nursed, I let them have some calf creep.
P.J.

[menollyrj]

Imodium won't kill them. We use it all the time on our calves. Just don't overdo it. We give 2 Imodium when we first see scours, then cut to 1 when it starts to firm up a little. We've had good luck using Imodium instead of Pepto.

-Joy

[francismilker]

I realize scours in calves is a killer. But once calves get out of the woods and on their feet well (about 1-2 months old) I don't worry as much about loose stools. A lot of the time, we see loose milky stools and figure it to be scours and start treating with drugs. A good dose of water or electrolytes usually clears it up for me. It is something you have to be on your toes with though. A relatively healthy looking calve in the a.m. can be a dead calf in the p.m. if you're not careful.

[bricned]

I have been giving Imodium A_D for quiet some time very successfully. I
have found that it will work when nothing else will.

[maude73529]

Hi everyone i usually give my calves powered Garlic the cheap kind 50 cents a bottle at walmart . I give them 2 tablespoons in their milk twice a day.I have not lost a calf since i have been doing this.

[copperhead46]

I can't see how that would hurt anything, garlic is good for a lot of stuff. These calves aren't on the bottle, though. I didn't worry about these boys the first day, it was just loose, but the next day it was projectile brown water !!!! They're going strong now, I'm glad to know I didn't almost kill them with the imodium, but I'll keep pepto on hand for the next set.
P.J.

[farmergirl]

I also am raising two holstein calves, that have developed scours in the last week. First the heifer came down with it and I dosed her with scour tablets, and now the bull calf has stinky liquid poop running down his hind end. I dosed them again this morning (that makes 2 treatments for him, 3 for her). They were raised on milk replacer, but are weaned from that now and just eating creep feed and pasture. How long should it take the scours to clear up with the antibiotic tablets? I doubt seriously that they have coccidiosis, but if this doesn't clear up, I'm afraid I'll have to call the vet and have him do a fecal to be sure.

[copperhead46]

Boy, I don't know, if they are off the bottle. Are they getting green grass?? Mine responded the next day to the meds, so I would think that yours shouldn't need to be re-dosed . This might be the place to try some pepto or imodium to slow them down, but it might be something more serious.

[Allen W]

Farmer girl

What color is it? How much green grass are they getting and how much pellets? They can get loose on good green grass.

[farmergirl]

They are turned out on a patch of about 8 acres. We've had so little rain in the past 18 mos that there isn't all that much green grass, though there is some coming up now after the latest rain. I have a small herd of grown cattle, all of whom are healthy. We checked the calves again this morning when they came up for a drink at the water trough. Other than the scours, they seem fine; energetic, eating plenty, drinking normally, romping and playing with the other animals. The scours are a dark, earthy brown color.

**forgot to mention that they are eating 3 big coffee cans of creep feed per day, though the free ranging chickens are no doubt eating a little of what I put out for them. The feed is a combination of a general creep feed, milled locally, and Purina Startena which is what I weaned them onto when they were coming off the milk replacer. They are old enough now that they can stop eating the Startena and eat just the normal calf pellets, which I will be transitioning them onto when they have finished this last bag of Startena (about 20 pounds of that left). I want to vaccinate them soon, but am thinking I should get the scour problem cleared up before we do that.

[Allen W]

Too much grain cut them down to two to three lbs a day each. They could use some good hay if they don't have green grass.

[de Molay]

The best natural cure for scours is diameticeous earth. Fed free choice. Clean dry bedding, and alternate calving areas each year. You can buy a bag of earth for about 30 bucks. The little microscopic pieces of volcanic earth slice the microbe that cause the problem. It works for flea and tick and louse dusting powder as well.

[de Molay]

Oh by the way it is 100% harmless and 100% natural and can be used on any mammal from chickens to horses.