JAH8
GP82
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Sudden death in calves!
Just wondered if anyone has ever experienced the following or perhaps has any idea of the cause?
Healthy heifer calf born, four days later the calf looks a little off colour, given an electrolyte(2litres) and milk to pick them up a bit. 12 hours later calf is flat out, vet called out and told its just scours (although the calf hasn't scoured at all), vet gives another 2 litres of electorlyte via stomach tube and says to repeat this every 2 hours for the rest of the day, gives glucose and goes. Come to give the calf its next dose of electrolyte two hours later and its dead! No explanation!
Any one ever experience anything simialr, where a calf goes from perfectly healthy to dead in less than 24hours?
Vet has since taken muck samples and will do a pm.
Advice or ideas very greatfully recieved!
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27/5/2008, 11:30
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bauldy
VG86
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Re: Sudden death in calves!
Could be a virulent bacteria such as e-coli but the lab analysis should pick that up!
How about BVD causing a lowered resitance to disease with the calf dying of virus pneumonia ! PM the calf for signs of lung infection! Do you vaccinate for BVD and IBR !
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27/5/2008, 12:01
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Smurf4
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Re: Sudden death in calves!
How vital was the calf at birth? did the fluid look/smell ok when the calf came out? Blood might have been poisoned if the calf was in there too long. Did the calf dung at all? We had one here a few years back that was born with no anal passage: had to be put down.
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27/5/2008, 12:35
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JAH8
GP82
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…
Bauldy: We have our bulk milk samples tested and run a very low level of both IBR and BVD. Hence have never vaccinated. The calf was a bit panty though but I put that down to it gasping for its last breaths!
Smurf 4: Calf has been absolutely fine- seriously good calf too!! Thrived for the first 3 days of life and died on the fourth! Had a good calving considering it was a decent sized calf from a heifer. Has dunged perfectly normal, but what dung was up the rectum was mucosy and quite fluid.
Any one else with any ideas- would be very grateful...
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27/5/2008, 14:30
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Smurf4
EX92
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Re: …
 Stumped!
Maybe it didn't like what it saw when it came out 
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27/5/2008, 17:38
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Buckeye
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…
We had a goofy bug hit the calves in late March, and April. Took out a very valuable Swiss calf, and a couple bull calves, day four onset. We started monitoring all calves rectal temps. Noticed that temps were elevated on day three to 103-103.5 degrees F. We started giving OxyTet 200 5 cc SQ on days three and six. Problem went away. It was a stab in the dark, but OxyTet is labeled for Ecoli scours. Continued to administer fluids orally. The weather changed, bedding changed, dry cows have plenty of space now. Whatever the reason things changed. Knock on wood, we haven't had any problems in a month. If the calf is heading south, have a vet try a IV of Lactated Ringers. If you aren't skilled enough a SQ administration of lactated ringers can help as well, but it is not as fast.
---
Buckeye seems like a one man wrecking crew out to rid the world of injustice. ----- Mayjay
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27/5/2008, 17:54
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FiringOnAllFour
Ex97
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Re: Sudden death in calves!
Didn't he administer an antibiotic too?
If not, he should, if so, there's no point in sending samples to the lab.
It was more than likely scour, virulent and possibly antibiotic resistant. We had it this spring due to calving density. It was a mercy that your calf died though before you started with all those fluids. That would surely be enough to finish off a fragile, newborn calf. Saline solution IV would be the only hope, with NSAIDs and anitbiotic. If the stomach has closed down, oral fluids aren't worth a toot.
My suggestion is with buckeye. Get all newborns out of the house as they are born. No matter how clean it is, powerwash the house out, and plaster it with disinfectant or hydrated lime or something. If you get a bull calf with similar, don't treat it, but get it to the lab as fresh as possible.
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27/5/2008, 20:52
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Ardbarron
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Sudden death in calves!
No a guy that had a couple of calves that dun the same and it turned out 2 be rotaviris
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27/5/2008, 22:11
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amlkman
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Sudden death in calves!
Calf Guard or First Defense will help with the e-coli or rotaviris this is given at birth it really helps. We would also give a Vetasulid (spelling?) tab at birth when the weather was bad and things were damp.
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28/5/2008, 0:38
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bauldy
VG86
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Re: …
I see that others have suggested e-coli or similar virulent bacteria and that would still be my first guess. I am sure your hygiene standards are good but if it is e-coli your hygiene standards will need to be clinically clean ! We started BVD vaccine two years ago and the biggest difference is the health and strength of the calves .
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28/5/2008, 10:15
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JAH8
GP82
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Sudden death in calves!
Mother cleansed well- but stinks inside! Vet came out to wash her out last night! So will have to wait on results of samples!
Calf was removed from mother and fed colostrum immediately. Went into a spotless disinfected hutch with fresh beeding and on a fresh site...
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28/5/2008, 10:49
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Smurf4
EX92
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Sudden death in calves!
Calf stressed in womb= soiled itself = blood poisoning
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28/5/2008, 13:39
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bauldy
VG86
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Re: Sudden death in calves!
quote:
Buckeye wrote:
Scours is typically an environmental issue. .
JAH8 said "..the calf did not scour at all.." I have had calves that have died ,without scouring ,within days of birth after I have taken all the relevant measures and the tests have come back positive for e-coli.
The calves immune system has obviously not been up to the job . This brings me back to BVD or IBR or another virus.
I agree with buckeye on the hygiene issues. Especially bedding ! I use sawdust and wheat straw mixed . If the bed is good enough for me to lie down on and fall asleep then its good and dry enough for a new born calf!
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30/5/2008, 8:45
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Smurf4
EX92
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Sudden death in calves!
What about PI3? We had this last year. Noticed any sudden drop in cow yields? Cows that just stand in the freestall and stare into space? The worst thing was that most of the cows carried the pregnancy for the nine months only to calf with a dead calf or one that was ok but went downhill rapidly. On the calves we used a drug called Batril MAX, expensive but did the job really well
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30/5/2008, 10:15
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Mayjay
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Re: Sudden death in calves!
I'm with FOAF, IV saline solution is a must, I've seen them come back from certain death this way.You're fighting a losing battle orally.
I really like Oxyvet, it's my mostest favorite drug. From scours to mastitis to infusing cows.
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8/6/2008, 5:57
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