Unit 6 -- Part 1
Diseases of Concern to the Newborn Ruminant
S. Kenyon

 

Health of the newborn

  • Naive immune system
  • Contaminated environment
  • Thermo-regulation
    • hypoglycemia/starvation
  • Control of disease:
    • adequate colostrum
    • clean environment
    • protect against rapid heat loss
    • clean hands of caretaker

 

Immediate care

  • Dry off calf
  • Dip navel in iodine solution
  • Separate calf from cow (dairy)
  • Move cow and calf to nursery pasture (beef)

 

Colostrum

  • Contains immunoglobulins
    • test with colostrometer
  • High levels of Vitamin A & minerals
  • Gut becomes progressively less permeable to immunoglobulins
  • Failure of passive transfer
    • test serum levels

 

Colostrum feeding

  • Hand feed dairy calves
  • Feed 5% of body weight in 1st six hours
  • or Feed 2 quarts in first two hours and another 2 quarts by 12 hours
  • or feed 1 gallon by esophageal feeder a.s.a.p.
  • Allow beef calves to nurse

 

Calf diarrhea


 E. coli K99+  <7days
 Rotavirus  5-14 days
 Coronavirus  5-21 days
 Cryptosporidium  > 5 days
 Salmonella  > 1 week
 Cl. perfringens  > 1 week
 Coccidiosis  > 21 days



CONTROL OF CALF DIARRHEA

  • Adequate nutrition of cow = adequate colostrum
  • Boost immunity of cow
    • E.coli, rota & corona viruses
  • Give specific antibody to calf
  • Give colostrum supplements to calf
  • Attempt to immunize calf
  • Good quality milk replacer

 

Treatment of calf diarrhea

  • estimate degree of dehydration
  • correct metabolic acidosis & hypoglycemia
  • If calf will suck
    • electrolyte soln. (e.g. Biolyte, Entrolyte, Re-sorb) between milk feedings. 4 - 6 L/24 hrs
    • do not mix electrolyte soln. with milk
    • i/v electrolytes if necessary

 

Treatment of scours

 Status Dehydration  Base Defecit
 Ambulatory  5-8%  5-10 mEq/L
 Weak  8-12%  10-15 mEq/L
 Recumbent  12-15%  15-20 mEq/L

 

Prevention of E.coli scours

  • Diagnosis
  • Hygiene
  • Colostrum feeding
  • Commercial K99+ bacterin to dam, 6 & 3 weeks prior to calving
  • Oral monoclonal antibody e.g. Genecol
  • Autogenous bacterins for non K99+ isolates

 

Prevention of Rota/Coronavirus

  • Reduce exposure
  • Vaccinate dry cows with killed rota/corona vaccine (Scourguard vaccine)
  • Adequate colostrum intake
  • Prolong colostrum feeding
  • (Oral MLV vaccination - Calfguard vaccine)
  • "First Defense" - oral corona/K99+ antibodies from hyperimmune colostrum

 

Calfhood vaccinations

  • Respiratory diseases (BVD, PI3, IBR, BRSV)
    • combined vaccine
    • always 2 doses 2 - 4 weeks apart
    • start at 4 - 6 months
  • Brucella (Bang's) vaccination
    • RB51 between 4 & 7months (120-210 days)

 

Other conditions

  • Chronic diarrhea
  • Navel Ill
  • Colisepticemia
  • Nutritional diseases
    • mineral deficiencies
    • post weaning unthriftiness
      • adaptation to ruminant diet
      • inadequate post-weaning diet
  • Hernias

 

    Calf care

     

  • Who is the caretaker?
  • Housing
    • not with cows
    • individual housing
    • hutches preferable
    • group after weaning

 

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