Colic in a calf: causes and symptoms, what to do for treatment

Intestinal disorders in the form of colic in calves are a common occurrence. The occurrence of the disease is sometimes provoked by diseases of the digestive system. Farmers can help themselves to animals suffering from bloating, which often accompanies colic. If colic is caused by foreign bodies entering the body, surgery may be needed.

Varieties of colic

The appearance of an ailment, in addition to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, can provoke sudden disruptions in the body. You can conditionally subdivide calf colic into several types:

• true type cause inflammatory processes or diseases of the intestines, stomachs. As an option - flatulence, stagnation in the intestines, acute expansion of the stomach due to the rapid eating of feed;
• false colic is provoked by diseases of the bladder, kidneys, liver. Infections can also be the cause of the disease;
• symptomatic may be caused by surgery or the presence of parasites in the animal's body.

Most often, the disease is caused by a violation of the intestines or stomachs. Moreover, intestinal swelling may be accompanied by peritonitis in some cases (thromboembolism). Intestinal colic without peritonitis is caused by flatulence, hardening or stagnation of food in the small intestine.

Causes of occurrence

To prevent colic, it is important to know the causes of the disease. Most common options:

• in case of a sudden transition from milk feeding of calves to an "adult" diet. Sometimes colic is provoked by feeding the calf sour cow's milk;
• both calves and adult cows suffer from food poisoning;
• failure of the gastrointestinal tract or the occurrence of serious diseases of the internal organs.

Causes of animal poisoning:

• deviations in drinking or feeding mode;
• feeding livestock immediately after a walk of fermenting feed or poor quality compound feed (with mold, harmful impurities in the form of sand, soil);
• eating with hay or grazing poisonous plants;
• overheating or hypothermia;
• eating frozen food;
• drinking cold water;
• getting foreign objects into the food - all this also causes cramps and stomach upset.

Symptoms and signs

By appearance, it is possible to determine that the animal suffers from colic and something hurts, according to several primary signs:

• calf is in a nervous, excited state, constantly moving its legs, does not stand in one place, tries to lie down;
• cattle kicks itself with its hind legs on the stomach, constantly fanning its tail;
• calf's belly is swollen. Cattle refuse to drink and feed.

From the secondary symptoms of colic, one can distinguish confused breathing, atypical functioning of the urinary system (absence or frequent urination), disruption of the cardiovascular system.

Diagnosis of disease

Veterinarians and experienced livestock breeders note that the calf's stomach hurts with various diseases. Therefore, for the correct diagnosis, the animal is carefully examined and felt, temperature, pulse are measured.

But you can't limit yourself to just a visual inspection. It is necessary to conduct clinical studies of blood, urine, feces.

How to treat colic in cattle

Before starting treatment, it is important to alleviate the painful condition of the animal. Initially, cattle are given a portion of vegetable oil, a slimy decoction, to drink as a laxative. This is necessary so that the gastrointestinal tract is cleared of accumulated food.

Animals are given "Spasmalgon" to relieve severe pain caused by spasms of smooth muscles, reduce fever, relax muscles. Camphor and caffeine will restore the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Injections of glucose, sodium bicarbonate or sodium chloride solutions will help prevent intoxication.

If colic is not strong, then other methods of treatment are used.An infusion or a weak decoction of chamomile will help eliminate intestinal inflammation. As a laxative, the animal is given a warm enema with soapy water. You can also massage the belly, rub the calf to help keep it warm.

Folk techniques

To eliminate colic, first of all, decoctions and infusions of medicinal herbs are often used. This method is acceptable if colic is not a symptom of an infectious disease or ingestion of foreign objects.

Decoctions of chamomile and St. John's wort suppress inflammation. Infusion of oak bark has an antispasmodic effect, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial. The tannins contained in the bark protect the intestinal tissue from local irritation, while slowing down the inflammatory process and reducing pain.

When using folk remedies, you need to take into account that not every animal can be helped in this way (some intolerance to certain herbs happens). Again, decoctions are more related to preventive measures. Therefore, it is advisable that the veterinarian examine the sick animal and prescribe a treatment regimen, dosage of decoctions or vegetable oils.

What could threaten?

In cattle, colic is most often caused by atony of the proventriculus (motility of the scar, net and book stops). Acute atony can be provoked by a sharp change in food or diet, poor quality feed, overfeeding with concentrates while water starvation.

Through the elimination of causes and timely treatment, you can quickly improve the he alth of cattle.

Secondary atony caused by infectious and invasive diseases (foot-and-mouth disease, botulism, piroplasmosis, fascioliasis) is of great danger.If timely treatment is not started, the animals die. Given the fact that many diseases are infectious, there is a danger of infection of the livestock. Such diseases reduce the productivity of livestock farms, reduce the number of livestock and entail costs for the treatment of animals and the implementation of quarantine and preventive measures.

Prevention

Thanks to timely preventive measures taken, it will be possible to reduce the likelihood of diseases and significantly improve the quality of animal welfare. Basic prevention of colic in calves and adults:

• providing pregnant and lactating cows with a complete diet so that calves form a strong body;
• preparing the right diet for calves, ensuring a smooth transition from dairy feed to standard;
• careful check of food before feeding, removal of low-quality compound feed or hay with harmful plants.

Regular vaccinations should be given to both calves and adults. All animals must be kept in special rooms that are regularly cleaned and disinfected. If colic is accompanied by suspicious symptoms, veterinary care should be sought immediately. It is recommended that the animal be isolated from the herd during the clinical trial period.

The appearance of colic in calves must be addressed immediately, since such an ailment can be caused by a dangerous disease. If the colic is not strong, then the way to restore the he alth of the cattle will be to drink plenty of water, to abstain from feeding for a day. Then boiled vegetables and hay are gradually introduced into the diet.

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