Calf dyspepsia: symptoms and diagnosis, treatment regimens and prevention

Calf dyspepsia is a serious pathology characterized by digestive disorders, metabolic problems, and general intoxication. This condition is a real danger because it can provoke the appearance of dehydration. As a result, calves may die. To avoid such problems, you need to engage in disease prevention.

What is this disease?

Dyspepsia is understood as a pathology that occurs in the first 10 days of a calf's life. It is characterized by severe intestinal upset. The disease itself is not dangerous.However, a high percentage of deaths is due to severe dehydration and the loss of useful elements.

In other words, dyspepsia is the toxic reaction of newborn calves to maternal colostrum. Its appearance is due to the lack of important substances during pregnancy. Another factor is the underdevelopment of the digestive organs in calves.

The first sign of the disease appears already in the first 2 hours after the calf receives the first portion of colostrum. This entails a strong metabolic disorder, dehydration, stunted growth and development. At the same time, calves cannot absorb mother's milk. If you do not help in time, most of the animals will die.

Causes of occurrence

The key reason for the development of dyspepsia is considered to be a violation of the recommendations for growing and breeding animals. This may be malnutrition or non-compliance with microclimate conditions. Another factor that causes the development of the disease is the insufficient development of the digestive organs.As a result, intestinal pH is disturbed, toxic elements and putrefactive microflora are produced.

The main causes of problems include the following:

• malnutrition of cows;
• lack of walking;
• late launch;
• overfeeding calves;
• colostrum or sour colostrum;
• violation of sanitary and hygienic rules.

Forms and symptoms of the disease

Dyspepsia can have 2 forms - simple and toxic. In the first case, the calf looks lethargic and weak, he partially loses his appetite and seems depressed. The animal does not stand after birth. It constantly lies with its neck stretched out and shakes. Approximately on the 2nd day, yellow diarrhea appears. At this stage, treatment always has a favorable prognosis and helps to completely eliminate the disease.

Toxic dyspepsia appears suddenly in the first days of life of newborns. At the same time, the calves lose their appetite, their temperature drops, the skin becomes cold. Diarrhea often contains mucous impurities. If measures are not taken in time, the animal dies due to intoxication and dehydration.

The main symptom of the disease is general weakness and depressed appearance. The calf also has diarrhea. Such signs appear at the first stage of the disease. Sick babies often lie on their side and look at their stomach. They may partially or completely refuse colostrum. In more difficult situations, calves begin to moan or low. They often have a decrease in body temperature, an increase in heart rate and respiration.

In difficult cases of pathology, severe dehydration occurs.At the same time, calves are faced with severe weakness, sunken eyes, dry mucous membranes. Their fur becomes ruffled. Often there is a shiver in the body, loss of sensitivity, dryness of the skin. Before death, the skin turns pale or turns blue. There is also an increase in heart rate. The death of the animal usually occurs after 2-5 days.

Diagnosing the problem

To make an accurate diagnosis, you need to assess the dynamics of the animal's well-being over several days. With normal dyspepsia, calves show weakness and a decrease in motor activity. The feces acquire a yellow tint and an unpleasant odor. There is also a risk of involuntary bowel movements. Pressing on the belly will make the calf nervous.

The appearance of such signs is the basis for contacting a veterinarian. The doctor will make a diagnosis based on the clinical picture and a blood test. This study will help identify electrolyte abnormalities and low potassium levels.Also, with dyspepsia, the indicators of leukocytes and ESR decrease.

Additional factors in the diagnosis are the analysis of animal nutrition and virological examination. It allows you to exclude infectious diseases and choose an effective course of therapy.

Calf dyspepsia treatment regimen

To cope with a simple form of the disease, it is recommended to follow these rules:

• cancel the next 2 servings of colostrum;
• give warm 1% saline solution.

After 12 hours, the condition of the baby should be restored. With the cessation of diarrhea, the frequency of feeding is doubled. In this case, the portion size should be reduced by 2 times. During the week, food should be returned to the standard. At the same time, it is recommended to give the calf 500 milliliters of saline before each meal. It must be at room temperature. It is important to consider that it is forbidden to use ordinary sugar instead of glucose, as this will lead to a deterioration in the condition of the calf.

In case of a toxic form of the disease, the following should be done:

• cancel colostrum;
• on the first day, give saline to normalize digestive functions and restore water balance;
• on day 2, reduce the daily intake by half and give food in equal portions 4 times a day;
• use a course of antibiotics to suppress putrefactive microflora;
• use sulfonamides to fight bacteria.

Nutrition Correction

When simple or toxic dyspepsia appears, the calf should not be given colostrum. It should be replaced with saline. It is a 1% sodium chloride solution. Liquid temperature should be 38 degrees.

The next 3-4 days it is recommended to keep the calf on half the volume of colostrum.The second half should be replaced with saline. It is also permissible to give decoctions of medicinal plants or rice. Within a month after the illness, you need to continue to give saline and gradually restore the norm of milk. All liquids are recommended to be given through the nipple. This will help to avoid excess milk ingestion and prevent the recurrence of the disease.

Novocaine blockade

This procedure helps to cope with intense pain. In this case, the drug is recommended to be administered to cattle in the affected area. The choice of agent or their combination depends on the desired duration of effect and the degree of pain intensity. To reduce discomfort in the digestive tract, it is recommended to use 1 milliliter of novocaine solution with a concentration of 0.5% per 1 kilogram of body weight. The injection should be performed in the first hungry hole. Moreover, it is recommended to insert the needle at 20-30 millimeters.

Compensatory treatment

In veterinary medicine, compensatory treatment is called, in which the functions of the affected organ are replaced by another. With the development of dyspepsia, compensation for the work of the intestine is required. For this, the animal is given a solution of gastric juice with a concentration of 50%. It is recommended to do this 20 minutes before meals. The use of this tool helps to get the following results:

• replenish enzyme deficiency;
• stimulate the functions of the pancreas and activate the synthesis of gastric juice;
• regulate acid-base balance;
• restore intestinal microflora;
• disinfect the digestive organs;
• make milk easier to digest.

An electrolyte solution is required to replenish fluid and electrolyte balance. To do this, you can buy ready-made preparations - for example, Regidron. You can also make your own mortar.

Specific Therapy

If the situation is complicated by infection or bacterial infection, the calf must be treated with antibiotics, sulfonamides and nitrofurans. Antibacterial agents can only be prescribed by a doctor. Most often, dyspepsia is treated with "Tetracycline". It helps to cope with most infections. The course of treatment lasts 4 days. In this case, the remedy should be taken 3-4 times a day.

Sulfanilamides have an antibacterial effect. They also stop inflammation and cope with the production of toxins. This group includes "Sulgin", "Ftalazol", "Ftazin". Nitrofurans are needed to suppress gram-negative and gram-positive microflora. These include "Furacilin", "Furagin". The course of therapy lasts 3-4 days.

Folk remedies

For the treatment of the calf, you can use herbal and enveloping decoctions. It is recommended to cook them for half an hour over low heat. Usually a handful of vegetable raw materials is used for 2 liters of water. With dyspepsia, herbs are shown that have an astringent effect. These include oak bark, elecampane, St. John's wort. You can also use alder cones. For enveloping decoctions, rice, flaxseeds, and oatmeal are used.

Prevention measures

For the prevention of pathology, it is recommended to follow the following rules:

• provide the cow with a sufficient amount of vitamins and trace elements at the stage of dead wood;
• after calving provide the female with a balanced diet;
• observe hygiene standards in the barn;
• maintain optimal room temperature;
• Isolate sick animals immediately.

It is recommended to start feeding calves with colostrum only 1 hour after birth, and the food should be from a he althy cow. Dyspepsia is a rather complex pathology that is often found in calves. To cope with it, it is recommended to immediately contact the veterinarian and follow his appointments.

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