The calf has a temperature: what to do, how to bring down and increase, home treatment

A newborn calf is a helpless creature with low immune defenses, prone to disease if not properly cared for. Therefore, the farmer must be careful and monitor his well-being. Sometimes it happens that the calf has a fever; what needs to be done in such situations is to immediately determine the cause of the violation and proceed to eliminate it. If the owner is inexperienced, it is recommended to invite a veterinarian to diagnose and prescribe therapy.

Possible Causes of Abnormalities in Cattle

In order to notice temperature deviations from the norm in time, you need to know what indicators are considered normal (in ^оС):

• up to 1.5 months - 38.5-40.5;
• up to 2 months - 38.5-40.2;
• up to 12 months - 38.5-40.

According to other sources, the listed indicators can vary by 0.2-0.5 ^оС and not indicate pathologies if the calf feels good.

Fever indicates that the animal's body is fighting pathogenic bacteria or other microorganisms, and the symptom sometimes accompanies non-inflammatory processes. The reasons why a calf's temperature may be high or low are as follows:

• paratyphoid - in case of illness, the temperature rises to 41 ^{оС, the calf loses its appetite, it starts having diarrhea with blood clots, in some cases constipation occurs, ears and limbs get cold. If the lungs are affected, cough and shortness of breath occur;}
• bronchopneumonia - in addition to an acute increase in temperature up to 42 ^{oC, the disease is accompanied by respiratory failure, profuse discharge from the eyes and nasal passages, cough;}
• colibacillosis is an intestinal disease in which the function of digestion is disturbed. The calf refuses to eat, becomes lethargic, lethargic, quickly loses weight, develops dehydration against the background of light yellow diarrhea. The temperature first rises sharply, then its decrease to 32-34 is diagnosed ^oС.

If the calf is poisoned, it is weak, it has no appetite, the temperature tends to gradually drop.

As with a decrease in temperature, and in the case of severe hyperthermia, the animal needs immediate veterinary care to avoid serious consequences and even death (for example, with paratyphoid that occurs without treatment).

How to measure the temperature at home

Understanding that a person has a fever is much easier - just touch your forehead with your hand to feel the heat.

Cows and calves have a constantly cool skin, so you can guess about the deterioration of the animal's well-being and hyperthermia only by accompanying signs - lethargy, apathy, loss of appetite and others.

The easiest way is to use a thermometer - mercury or electronic. Mercury shows more accurately, but you need to keep it longer, up to 8-10 minutes, and handle it more carefully. The thermometer should be disinfected and shaken to the minimum marks. Lubricate the tip with vaseline oil so that the calf does not hurt when the thermometer is inserted into the anus. A string must be tied to the device.

The calf should be fixed so that it does not twitch and does not try to run away - put its head against the wall. Next, the tail is raised to the animal, a thermometer is inserted into the rectum so that about 2.5-3 centimeters remain outside, and they wait 8-10 minutes.For an electronic thermometer, 1-2 minutes is enough, it will beep that the data has been recorded.

What should I do when the temperature is high or low?

How to treat fever - depends on the cause of hyperthermia in a calf. Most often, antibacterial drugs are prescribed, they are used for diseases of the bronchopulmonary system and intestinal infections. It is advisable to choose a drug focused on the causative agent of the pathology, from a number of broad-spectrum antibiotics:

• "Sulfazol";
• "Tetracycline";
• Gentamicin;
• Enroxil;
• "Levomycetin";
• Flumequin;
• "Amoxicillin";
• Ceftriaxone.

To bring down the temperature, a course of antibiotic therapy is often enough, but the treatment also consists of a general strengthening, detoxification treatment.With colibacillosis, immunoglobulins, antitoxic serums are used. Salmonellosis and other intestinal infections are treated with bacteriophages.

To reduce the immune response to the death of the microbial flora, antihistamines are prescribed. To relieve inflammation - drugs of the NSAID group.

Any inflammation that occurs with a violation of the temperature regime requires replenishment of the water-s alt balance in the animal's body. The calf should be fed warm boiled water. If he has diarrhea, it is recommended to reduce the amount of sucked milk by half. In a serious condition, the animal is intravenously injected with Trisol, Ringer-Locke solutions, glucose, sodium chloride. This allows you to eliminate dehydration, increase the body's resistance to infection and normalize the temperature.

Prevention measures

To avoid temperature disturbances, you should:

• vaccinate calves in time;
• observe hygiene standards in the stall;
• observe the hygiene of childbirth and drinking milk;
• regularly carry out disinfection activities in the barn.

To prevent calves from contracting infectious diseases in utero, it is recommended that cows be routinely vaccinated 4 weeks prior to mating. A calf's normal temperature is not always an indicator of good he alth. It is necessary to pay attention to the appetite of the animal, its appearance, weight gain, physical activity. With a sharp deterioration in well-being, accompanied by hyperthermia, you should immediately call a veterinarian, because calves are vulnerable to infections and may die in the absence of timely assistance.

Recommended