April 2008 Update
Coccidiosis – don’t just treat the clinical cases
“Cocci” has over the last few years become a real menace on many farms and can be the biggest cause of poor growth rates, deaths and treatment costs in the late spring/early summer. In addition exposed calves are much more susceptible to pneumonia. This is an invisible disease and by the time you see calves ill the damage has already been done. The disease starts in the calving shed and follow on fields. Over a 3-4 week period one ingested oocyst (the basic Cocci bug) will destroy 32 million cells in the gut wall and produce another 16 million oocysts to keep contamination levels high and prolong the length of the outbreak!
Most disease is sub-clinical – poor growth, dry coats and poor appetites. In suckler herds the first sign is very often a really sick calf with terribly painful bloody diarrhoea, severe straining and dehydration. These calves rarely recover. Trial work suggests that more than half the losses come from unseen losses (sub-clinical). Many farmers wait until the first case is seen then dive in and treat the group – already you are too late and the damage has been done.
Best advice now is to treat strategically groups of calves on the farm – suggestions are 14 days after a move to high risk pastures – this often means when the cows are arranged into mating groups. Alternatively and the strategy we endorse is to treat batches of calves when they are 4-6 weeks of age. Sometimes previous history gives a better idea of when to dose. Treatment with Vecoxan reduces the burden in the calves, greatly reduces pasture/shed contamination and prevents clinical illness. In addition try to keep calves grouped in similar batches for age and size, keep the areas around drinking troughs/creep feeders dry and try to avoid putting the most vulnerable calves (usually the youngest) onto fields grazed previously with all the other calves on the farm. Vecoxan is an oral drench, has a zero meat withdrawal and a dose rate of 4mls per 10Kg, say 40mls for a 100Kg calf.
Colostrum – Such a Vital Medicine
It’s not often Colostrum is called a medicine but it certainly has wonderful protective powers to protect against the diseases of new born calves. Those calves that don’t get enough for whatever reasons will soon run into difficulties. Colostrum quality and volume is driven by the feeding and health of the cows. Herd diseases like fluke and worm burdens seriously harm colostrum quality – if you are trying to keep calf size down by restricting feed then colostrum will suffer. The rich fat content of colostrum is the major source of Vitamin E for the calf, so make sure the cows get good supplements, especially if you are a straw/barley feeder. The main role for colostrum is to supply the antibody proteins that the calf needs to sustain good health ‘till it is able to make its own antibodies. That can take 6-10 weeks – this means that a rich supply of colostrum is needed to protect a calf. Hopefully beef calves suckle with vigour from a few hours old. Target intakes are 3 litres within 6 hours, then the same again in the next 6 hours. After 12 hours the calf rapidly and progressively losses the ability to absorb the antibodies. The other components such as fat for energy and the trace elements still work away. If you are tubing a calf, make sure the colostrum is warmed to blood heat – keep a couple of tubes and wash them well with a soapy detergent between calves. Contaminated tubes are a great way of spreading disease. Commercial colostrum is sufficient as a stand by, but no substitute for the mothers supply.
We have seen many cases of calf deaths this year due to E.Coli infections, joint-ill and pneumonia. In all cases the calves had failed to absorb any protection form the colostrum on offer. We can check levels of protection using a simple blood test. Calves (and lambs) that you suspect have had a colostrum deficit need much more support and antibiotic treatment to keep them moving forwards. If you have a problem with poorly calves and are worried about colostrum intakes let your vet take a few blood samples to see how well the mother/calf bond is working. We have diagnosed BVD infections and low levels of Vitamin E and B12 in newborn calves using these blood tests.
Scour Testing in Calves
With the weather being so poor and calves held inside for longer that usual scour could become an issue, especially in un-vaccinated herds. Outbreaks can cause serious economic effects. Because there are many different causes with no specific clinical signs, it is vital to make a specific diagnosis to help choose the appropriate treatments and preventative measures. We now have Diagnostic Kits to check for Rotavirus, Coronavirus, Cryptosporidiois and E.Coli K99. These are the main causes. The test takes about 30 minutes. All we need are the samples from you and we’ll do the rest. Currently these tests are free so if you have any problems then please submit samples from as many calves in the group as possible.
“Cocci” has over the last few years become a real menace on many farms and can be the biggest cause of poor growth rates, deaths and treatment costs in the late spring/early summer. In addition exposed calves are much more susceptible to pneumonia. This is an invisible disease and by the time you see calves ill the damage has already been done. The disease starts in the calving shed and follow on fields. Over a 3-4 week period one ingested oocyst (the basic Cocci bug) will destroy 32 million cells in the gut wall and produce another 16 million oocysts to keep contamination levels high and prolong the length of the outbreak!
Most disease is sub-clinical – poor growth, dry coats and poor appetites. In suckler herds the first sign is very often a really sick calf with terribly painful bloody diarrhoea, severe straining and dehydration. These calves rarely recover. Trial work suggests that more than half the losses come from unseen losses (sub-clinical). Many farmers wait until the first case is seen then dive in and treat the group – already you are too late and the damage has been done.
Best advice now is to treat strategically groups of calves on the farm – suggestions are 14 days after a move to high risk pastures – this often means when the cows are arranged into mating groups. Alternatively and the strategy we endorse is to treat batches of calves when they are 4-6 weeks of age. Sometimes previous history gives a better idea of when to dose. Treatment with Vecoxan reduces the burden in the calves, greatly reduces pasture/shed contamination and prevents clinical illness. In addition try to keep calves grouped in similar batches for age and size, keep the areas around drinking troughs/creep feeders dry and try to avoid putting the most vulnerable calves (usually the youngest) onto fields grazed previously with all the other calves on the farm. Vecoxan is an oral drench, has a zero meat withdrawal and a dose rate of 4mls per 10Kg, say 40mls for a 100Kg calf.
Colostrum – Such a Vital Medicine
It’s not often Colostrum is called a medicine but it certainly has wonderful protective powers to protect against the diseases of new born calves. Those calves that don’t get enough for whatever reasons will soon run into difficulties. Colostrum quality and volume is driven by the feeding and health of the cows. Herd diseases like fluke and worm burdens seriously harm colostrum quality – if you are trying to keep calf size down by restricting feed then colostrum will suffer. The rich fat content of colostrum is the major source of Vitamin E for the calf, so make sure the cows get good supplements, especially if you are a straw/barley feeder. The main role for colostrum is to supply the antibody proteins that the calf needs to sustain good health ‘till it is able to make its own antibodies. That can take 6-10 weeks – this means that a rich supply of colostrum is needed to protect a calf. Hopefully beef calves suckle with vigour from a few hours old. Target intakes are 3 litres within 6 hours, then the same again in the next 6 hours. After 12 hours the calf rapidly and progressively losses the ability to absorb the antibodies. The other components such as fat for energy and the trace elements still work away. If you are tubing a calf, make sure the colostrum is warmed to blood heat – keep a couple of tubes and wash them well with a soapy detergent between calves. Contaminated tubes are a great way of spreading disease. Commercial colostrum is sufficient as a stand by, but no substitute for the mothers supply.
We have seen many cases of calf deaths this year due to E.Coli infections, joint-ill and pneumonia. In all cases the calves had failed to absorb any protection form the colostrum on offer. We can check levels of protection using a simple blood test. Calves (and lambs) that you suspect have had a colostrum deficit need much more support and antibiotic treatment to keep them moving forwards. If you have a problem with poorly calves and are worried about colostrum intakes let your vet take a few blood samples to see how well the mother/calf bond is working. We have diagnosed BVD infections and low levels of Vitamin E and B12 in newborn calves using these blood tests.
Scour Testing in Calves
With the weather being so poor and calves held inside for longer that usual scour could become an issue, especially in un-vaccinated herds. Outbreaks can cause serious economic effects. Because there are many different causes with no specific clinical signs, it is vital to make a specific diagnosis to help choose the appropriate treatments and preventative measures. We now have Diagnostic Kits to check for Rotavirus, Coronavirus, Cryptosporidiois and E.Coli K99. These are the main causes. The test takes about 30 minutes. All we need are the samples from you and we’ll do the rest. Currently these tests are free so if you have any problems then please submit samples from as many calves in the group as possible.