Diarrhea occurs when intestinal fluids are not absorbed properly in the intestines. Anything that affects the intestines’ ability to absorb fluid can result in diarrhea. The cause of diarrhea can be both nutritional and infectious. Nutritional causes of diarrhea can include grain overload, cobalt or selenium deficiency, copper toxicity, or in young calves, changes in milk quality. Infectious causes include parasites, viruses, and bacteria. It is important to note that some infectious causes of diarrhea, such as salmonella or Cryptosporidium, can also affect humans. High levels of hygiene should be practiced when dealing with sick cattle. Diarrhea affects cattle welfare and can cause production losses in your herd. Proper diagnosis of the underlying problem is the first step to treating sick cattle.
GENERAL TREATMENTS
Nutritional and infectious diarrhea can be treated with fluid therapy and anti-infectives when indicated. Diarrhea management will include replenishing lost electrolytes. Diarrhea causes discomfort to cattle and treating cattle with NSAIDs alongside other therapies helps cattle to feel better and eat and drink earlier than those not treated with pain medication, resulting in faster recovery and less impact on their growth.
SCOURS
Scours is diarrhea in calves, regardless of the cause. Scours can be caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites or even dietary challenges. Newborn calves are the most susceptible to contracting scours, but it can occur at any time within the first 4-6 weeks of age. If untreated, calves with scours become dehydrated and weak. They may not be able to stand and can sway when they walk as a result of low blood sugar and electrolyte imbalances. If left untreated, death can occur within 24 hours.
Like treating diarrhea in adult cattle, the most important step in the treatment of scours is to replenish fluids within the calf. Fluid therapy corrects dehydration and restores the salts in the calf’s bodily fluids. Infected calves should be isolated from healthy cattle, so they don’t pass along infections, in particular to younger calves.
BVD
A common cause of diarrhea in older cattle is bovine viral diarrhea (BVD). BVD is caused by bovine viral diarrhea virus and can be transmitted in a number of ways. It can be spread through nose-to-nose contact from infected carriers, through the semen of infected bulls, or from an infected dam to their unborn calf. Signs of a BVD infection in adult cattle can include fever, lethargy, loss of appetite and diarrhea.
BVD can cause infertility, abortion, stillbirth or malformed calves. Additionally, if a dam is infected while pregnant, she can pass it along to the unborn calf. This calf (usually called PI or Persistently Infected) will then spread the virus throughout its life. Contact with these PI animals can spread the infection to the entire herd. When cattle have BVD, milk yields will be lower, growth rates suffer and reproduction will falter. Treatment for BVD is limited to supportive therapy. Animals who have been diagnosed PI should be culled to prevent the spread of infection.
The good news is that cattle can be vaccinated to prevent and control BVD. Prevention is the most effective treatment for BVD.
