Content
Bloody diarrhea in calves is a very broad concept. This is not a disease, but a symptom. Moreover, laboratory tests are often required to make an accurate diagnosis. We can only say unequivocally that in this case the gastrointestinal mucosa is damaged. But there can be many reasons that caused these injuries.
Why does a calf have bloody diarrhea?
Bloody diarrhea can be caused by:
- food poisoning;
- entry of a foreign body into the gastrointestinal tract;
- worms;
- infectious diseases.
All this can be the cause of bloody diarrhea in calves, but before starting treatment, the true cause will have to be identified. The worst thing is a foreign object in the gastrointestinal tract. If other problems can be dealt with on an outpatient basis, then the only option is surgery. And it is beneficial if the calf is super valuable in terms of breeding. In all other cases, you will have to sell it for meat.
Poisoning does not all lead to bloody diarrhea. Typically, blood in excrement appears after feeding food with chemicals:
- plenty of table salt;
- nitrates;
- salts of toxic metals;
- mycotoxins.
The latter is not a chemical substance, but a waste product of mold fungi.Although cows are considered very resistant to eating such poisonous feed, they can also become poisoned.
Hay in this condition cannot be fed even when mixed with good hay. It is not suitable for bedding either.
Sometimes you have to feed mold because the purchased hay was poorly dried, and you can’t get any more. But it is better not to give moldy feed to calves, even in a mixture.
A large number of fluke worms in the gastrointestinal tract of a cow can also lead to the appearance of blood in the feces. The fluke attaches to the intestinal wall, damaging the mucous membrane. If there are few worms, the blood is simply invisible, although it is present in the excrement.
Bloody diarrhea can also be a symptom of salmonellosis.
Since the causes of bloody diarrhea in a calf are different, it makes sense to begin treatment after an accurate diagnosis has been established. Otherwise, you can waste time, during which the animal’s condition will only worsen.
At the same time, viral diarrhea is normally called so precisely because of diarrhea as the main symptom of the disease. But the virus is very variable and there are many forms of diarrhea.
In adult bulls and cows, bloody diarrhea occurs for the same reasons as in calves. Only the percentage of causes changes: adult animals are more resistant to infections, and the reason for the development of diarrhea in them usually lies in toxic feed. Adult cattle no longer suffer from diseases of young animals, although they can be carriers of the infection.
Why is bloody diarrhea dangerous in calves?
Any diarrhea is dangerous, not just bloody ones.First of all, the body becomes dehydrated very quickly. Even pumping the body with a diuretic will not give such a quick and effective result as profuse diarrhea.
Bloody is dangerous not only due to dehydration. With large damage to the intestinal mucosa, internal bleeding opens, which is very difficult to stop. The vessels inside cannot be compressed, as is done with external injuries. Excessive bleeding in the intestines will lead to the death of the calf within a few hours.
A calf that is dehydrated due to diarrhea appears emaciated.
How to treat bloody diarrhea in a calf
Strictly speaking, treating calves with only bloody diarrhea is a futile task. If the cause is not eliminated, it will recur. But establishing an accurate diagnosis takes time, during which the calf may die. Therefore, symptomatic treatment is first carried out:
- Removing the calf from feed. With bloody profuse diarrhea, they are still not absorbed, and solid particles can damage the walls of the gastrointestinal tract even more.
- Injections of hemostatic drugs.
- Antimicrobial therapy.
Damage in the intestines is a wide-open gateway for pathogens to enter the bloodstream. Therefore, in case of bloody diarrhea, antibiotics are prescribed in any case.
You can guess what caused the bloody diarrhea based on the degree and speed of spread of the disease. In isolated cases, the disease is most likely non-contagious and can be caused by individual intolerance to any component in the feed. Also, a one-time case may be caused by ingestion of a foreign body. There may also be poisoning, but the calf ate the poison somewhere “on the side” while walking.
If there is a high content of substances toxic to livestock in hay or feed, mass poisoning is possible. It usually occurs when new foods are introduced into the diet:
- a new batch of feed or hay;
- succulent food supplementing the diet;
- fresh grass with poisonous plants or simply “on fire.”
But in this case, bloody diarrhea will begin in animals simultaneously with a maximum difference of several hours.
If the spread of the disease occurs quite quickly, but the number of calves with bloody diarrhea increases gradually, an infectious infection can be assumed. Based on these general signs, you can begin treatment before an accurate diagnosis is made, so as not to waste time.
Single case
First of all, you need to check for the presence of foreign bodies in the calf's gastrointestinal tract. Such equipment is available at large complexes, but it is unlikely that any of the private cow owners keep an ultrasound and X-ray machine at home. In addition, damage to the intestinal mucosa by a foreign body is an indication for surgery. It is better for a private owner to immediately proceed to measures to provide emergency assistance in case of poisoning. Nothing else can be done in a private courtyard.
Giving an enema to a calf that is poisoned is not easy, but it is necessary
Poisoning
The general principles of first aid for poisoning are the same for all poisons. In case of intoxication, a complex of various means is used and this is done as quickly as possible.
First of all, the cause of poisoning is eliminated. Remove suspicious food from the access area. Other measures, ventilation of the room, are unlikely to be relevant for bloody diarrhea in calves. Such diarrhea can also occur due to poisoning through the respiratory tract, but this requires the use of a BWA.
Next, if possible, remove the remaining toxic substances from the gastrointestinal tract: rinsing, laxatives, enemas. Since a free-grazing cow can roll in something poisonous and then lick the poison from the skin, the animal is washed thoroughly. But this is if there is a suspicion of poison on the fur.
To remove it from the body, calves are given various sorbents: activated carbon, white clay, enterosorbent B, polyphepane, smecta.
For acid poisoning, sodium carbonate is used.
To remove already absorbed poison, intravenous administration of saline, glucose, diuretics and laxatives is used. In simple terms, they “put in IVs.” If it is known what poison the calf was poisoned with, an antidote is administered to it.
Therapy is carried out, which is aimed at increasing immunity, improving metabolism, maintaining the respiratory, cardiovascular and other systems of the body.
If poisoning is suspected, even if it was an isolated case, the food and water are immediately sent to the laboratory for analysis. Frankly speaking, it is unlikely that a private owner will do this.
Often the dropper has to be placed directly on the pasture, taking on the functions of a stand for a container with medication
Helminths
A large number of worms in the intestines can be life-threatening for the calf. Even roundworms can form a ball and cause mechanical blockage of the gastrointestinal tract. The use of strong anthelmintic drugs causes the death of parasites. If the population is small, the dead worms will pass out of the intestines without causing problems. But if there were a lot of worms, toxins from decomposing corpses will penetrate the calf’s blood and cause general intoxication of the body.
Salmonellosis
The appearance of bloody diarrhea in a calf due to salmonellosis means an already advanced stage. Since an accurate diagnosis is made on the basis of laboratory tests, one can only guess what caused the disease based on additional symptoms:
- heat;
- thirst;
- conjunctivitis;
- signs of pneumonia;
- bloody diarrhea.
Treatment is carried out with broad-spectrum antibiotics. To maintain the body, vitamin and mineral preparations are administered.
Preventive actions
It is impossible to prevent only bloody diarrhea. Measures must be taken to prevent the causes of diarrhea. And always keep in mind that diarrhea, “normal” or bloody, is only a symptom of the disease.
Prevention of foreign bodies entering the stomach is carried out by cleaning the area where cows roam. To prevent cattle from trying to compensate for the lack of vitamins and minerals by eating various inedible items, they are provided with a complete diet with the addition of vitamin and mineral premixes.
To prevent poisoning it is necessary:
- comply with feed procurement and storage technologies;
- constantly monitor their quality;
- do not violate the technology of preparing feed and preparing it for feeding;
- check the condition of reservoirs and pastures.
You should also not feed moldy or fermented feed to calves. If freshly cut grass has been piled up and has become self-heated, it should not be given to animals. Any food with an unnatural color or rottenness is excluded from the diet.Veterinary specialists are required to constantly monitor the composition of plants in nearby forests and meadows, whether fertilizers or pesticides have been used in grazing areas. All these measures are impossible in a private economy.
To prevent worms, it is enough to follow a deworming schedule. In this case, the parasites will not have time to multiply to critical numbers. Infection of healthy animals with eggs and larvae of worms is prevented by sanitizing pastures.
Preventive measures to prevent salmonellosis are the same as for other infectious diseases:
- regular disinfection of equipment and tools;
- keeping the litter clean;
- storing feed and water out of reach of rodents;
- disinfection of work clothes for personnel;
- quarantine for newly arrived animals;
- providing calves with a nutritious diet.
Compliance with sanitary and veterinary requirements for keeping livestock significantly reduces the risk of infectious diseases.
Regularly clearing pastures of manure will protect calves from unnecessary problems.
Conclusion
Bloody diarrhea in calves is an extreme disease that can be prevented if you carefully monitor your animal. The only exception is a foreign object. But here it is difficult for a private owner to keep track of what exactly his cow takes in when eating grass.
