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When a baby calf is born, he undergoes several major changes. His body temperature adjusts to the environment. He almost immediately learns to walk and maneuver through the pasture. He also learns how and where to nurse. Most of this is instinctive, but what about other changes he must adapt to, such as fighting off diseases? Sure, the colostrum contains antibodies to help boost the calf's immune system, but he can still get sick. Scours. For example: E. Coli, Coronavirus, Rotavirus, etc. A common illness of baby calves is known as scours. The term "scours" actually encompasses several different diseases that result in diarrhea in baby calves. Escherichia coli, or E. coli can affect calves from birth to seven days of age. Pathogenic E. coli are commonly found in the manure of healthy calves, which results in most calves being exposed shortly after birth. Unless the calf has received some type of protection from the bacteria, a calf can develop colibaciliosis. E. coli may cause severe diarrhea. The bacteria attaches to the lining of the intestine. Once the bacteria attach, they produce toxins which cause the intestine to secrete large amounts of fluid, resulting in diarrhea, dehydration and possible death. Clostridium perfringens Type C is commonly found in soil and the intestinal tract of healthy animals. Type C enterotoxemia results from an overgrowth of the bacteria in the calf's intestine. This results in severe toxemia and high mortality rates. Calves may show signs of bloating, pain, bloody diarrhea or extreme weakness. However, most often they may be found dead without showing any symptoms. Rotavirus also produces diarrhea, dehydration, depression and sometimes death. The disease typically occurs within the first two weeks of life. More and more rotovirus serotypes are being detected at dairy and beef facilities across the country. Calves infected with rotovirus show more severe symptoms if they are co-infected with other pathogens. Coronavirus is known to cause some of the most severe cases of calf diarrhea. Calves most commonly affected range in age from 5 to 21 days. The diarrhea typically lasts 4 to 5 days. Coronavirus is also capable of producing symptoms or respiratory disease by infecting the lung tissues. Affected calves are the main source of infection to other calves. Prevention Although a cow's colostrum helps a baby calf fight off infections, vaccinating the pregnant cow triggers specific immune responses in the colostrum. According to Dr. Jason Larsen, a technical services veterinarian with Grand Labs, vaccinating the cow results in high levels of maternal antibodies that are passed to the calf through the colostrum. When the calf receives the antibodies, they act to prevent the bacteria or virus from causing diarrhea, he says. "Ideally, the cow should receive the vaccine or vaccines eight to 10 weeks prior to calving," Larsen says. Depending on the vaccine, a booster dose may be needed in the first year. A variety of vaccines are available covering different combinations of calf diarrhea diseases. "Administering precalving shots can really cut down on baby calf illnesses," says Larsen, "as long as the calf receives adequate levels of colostrum within the first few critical hours after birth. |
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