Contacts: Nolan Hartwig, Veterinary Diagnostic and Producing Animal Medicine,  Wendy Miller, Iowa Beef Center

ISU Veterinarian Offers Guidelines for Tackling Calf Scours

AMES, Iowa -- Once one calf begins scouring, the illness can spread through a beef herd like wildfire, causing major animal and financial losses for Iowa producers.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," the old adage says. However, not all cases of calf scours can be avoided. Any number of microorganisms can cause scours, ranging from viruses and bacteria like rotaviruses, E. coli and salmonella to cryptosporidia. It’s nearly impossible to predict all of the factors that might cause an outbreak.

But, what can producers do when illness affects their herds? "There are ways to avoid major losses due to an outbreak of calf scours," said Nolan Hartwig, extension veterinarian in the Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine at ISU and collaborator with the Iowa Beef Center. "Early diagnosis and treatment are extremely important."

There are certain steps producers should follow with a potential scours outbreak. "Calf scours itself is not a disease – it is a symptom of an underlying problem," Hartwig continued. "Producers shouldn’t immediately administer antibiotics to infected calves, because they might be treating the wrong illness and could potentially make the situation worse. Antibiotic treatment often makes diagnosing the problem very difficult. They should contact their veterinarian for a thorough evaluation and a specific diagnosis when signs of calf scours first occur."

Other recommendations Hartwig makes are:

• Make sure calves are nursing. "Calves need colostrum, which is the milk cows produce 24 to 48 hours post-partum," Hartwig said. "This milk contains essential protective antibodies that calves do not possess on their own." Calves should consume at least two quarts within two hours of birth and another two quarts by the time they are 12 hours old, Hartwig advised.

Additionally, Hartwig said, the colostrum should be natural and come from cows within the herd. "Don’t get colostrum from a neighbor or a local dairy because of the threat of Johne’s Disease," he cautioned. "And synthetic replacements are only 10 to 20 percent as effective as natural colostrum and are quite expensive." Producers can take colostrum from cows and freeze it for up to a year.

• Attack the problem early. "Producers should incorporate treatment regimens at the first sign of an outbreak," Hartwig said. "Early diagnosis and treatment will prevent the disease from spreading to other calves in the herd."

• Administer oral fluids. "Calves can become dehydrated fairly quickly. They need a lot of oral fluids and electrolytes as soon as scours become apparent," Hartwig said. "There are very good commercial electrolyte powders available on the market today that are great for oral rehydration."

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