A calf has diarrhea with blood: causes and how to treat at home

Diarrhea in animals can be caused by various reasons. A calf has diarrhea with blood - what is the cause and how to treat it? This situation is familiar to every farmer. First of all, you need to understand that diarrhea is a sign of some kind of disease. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to correctly diagnose. To increase the animal's chances of recovery, it is recommended to seek help from specialists.

Causes of bloody diarrhea in calves

Various reasons can provoke the appearance of an ailment: the ingestion of a foreign object, food poisoning, infectious diseases, helminthic invasions.It should also be taken into account that ordinary food poisoning does not lead to the appearance of blood in the feces of the calf. The problem may be in the ingestion of chemicals (nitrates, s alts of heavy metals) in food.

Rippy hay is a common cause of poisoning, leading to the appearance of blood with mucus in the stool. The cause of the disease is mycotoxins - the waste products of mold fungi. Moldy hay should not be fed to animals, even if there is nothing to replace it with. Usually, fungi appear in packed, poorly dried grass.

The source of bloody diarrhea is often poisonous plants in the hay. Cows and bulls are also not immune from such a disease. Adult animals, thanks to strong immunity, are less prone to digestive disorders.

Danger problem

The appearance of diarrhea in calves, even without admixture of blood, is a dangerous symptom. The main danger of indigestion is dehydration.Blood impurities are a sign of damage to the mucous membrane of internal organs, intestines. Due to damage to the walls of blood vessels, the likelihood of bacterial flora entering the blood increases. As a result, the animal develops bacteremia, sepsis. If the bull has a weakened immune system, then after 35-48 hours the animal dies from septic shock.

Danger is also the ingress of a foreign body into the esophagus, since the main treatment option for the animal is surgery. This is a rather expensive procedure, so it is only advisable in case of saving a breeding animal.

How to treat diarrhea in cattle

Because diarrhea is a symptom of an illness, it is important to make the correct diagnosis initially. Laboratory studies allow you to accurately understand the cause of damage to the mucosa. Prescribe treatment after diagnosis.

One case

In the event of an illness in one animal, you need to make sure that there are no foreign objects in the gastrointestinal tract of the animal. For such an examination, you will need an X-ray machine or an ultrasound device. It is easy to check a calf at a livestock complex equipped with such equipment.

In private farms, emergency care can be provided to an animal as in case of food poisoning: a cleansing enema is given to a calf, drugs are prescribed that promote blood clotting (ascorbic acid, etamsylate, vikasol).

To make up for the loss of fluid, the bull is given s alted water to drink, the rehydration medicine Polivisol.

Poisoning

If any toxic substances are ingested, it is important to provide first aid in a timely manner. In order to choose the right medicines, it is necessary to establish the source of poisoning. Next, a set of events is carried out:

• if many calves and cows have the disease at the same time, then poor-quality feed can cause diarrhea. Therefore, the feeders are cleared of feed, hay;
• animals are given sorbents ("Smecta", activated carbon, enterosorbent B) to remove harmful substances from the body;
• since cleansing enemas are contraindicated for intestinal damage, gastric lavage is recommended;
• administration of saline, laxatives and diuretics will accelerate the elimination of toxic substances from the animal's body;
• potassium carbonate is prescribed for accidental chemical poisoning.

General therapy (injections, droppers) will help strengthen the immunity of calves, improve metabolism, support the functioning of both the respiratory system and the cardiovascular system. But it is recommended to take water, food, animal feces for analysis in order to accurately determine the cause of the poisoning.

Helminths

Worms, getting into the body of an animal, spread in the intestines, lungs, blocking the respiratory passages. An increase in body temperature, bloody stools, refusal to feed are symptoms of helminth damage to the body.

Filling the body of a calf, parasites provoke inflammatory processes in cells, contribute to the structural destruction of organs.

If you do not start treatment at home in a timely manner, the likelihood of a fatal outcome for the calf increases. Several medications are used in therapy:

• "Alvet" - the drug inhibits the development of helminths at an early stage and is well tolerated by animals;
• "Albendazole" - the medicine is available in the form of a suspension, reliably destroys parasites. Advantage - the medicine has low toxicity for the calf's body;
• "Tetramizol" - already a day after application, the effect is observed. The drug is characterized by rapid absorption by organ tissues and a long therapeutic effect.

Treatment of helminthic infestation is carried out under the supervision of a veterinarian, as there is a risk of drug intolerance for the animal.

Salmonellosis

The disease affects young animals aged 1-2 months. Clinical symptoms: high body temperature, thirst, pneumonia, conjunctivitis. If the calf poops with blood, then the disease has reached an advanced stage. The laboratories examine the blood and feces of sick cattle.

The basis of treatment is injections of polyvalent antitoxic serum. Animals are injected intramuscularly or intravenously, 5-10 ml of the drug for 7-10 days. It is recommended to divide the daily dose into three injections (injections are made at intervals of 4 hours). The formol alum vaccine has proven itself well (injections are done only subcutaneously).

Prevention measures

When the first signs of diarrhea appear, it is important to establish the source of the disease. Since prevention is easier than cure, preventive measures are of great importance:

• feed is harvested and stored according to the established technology, constantly monitoring the quality;
• you must not violate the technology of preparing silage, compound feed;
• the state of reservoirs and pastures is constantly monitored. Grazing areas are periodically checked for foreign objects;
• The diet of animals is replenished with vitamin and mineral supplements to prevent eating harmful and dangerous plants and substances.

On future grazing sites, the composition of the flora is checked to prevent poisoning by poisonous plants. Periodically carry out deworming. Herd areas are regularly cleaned and disinfected.

Diarrhea is a common disease of young animals. However, bloody diarrhea in a calf is an extraordinary phenomenon. You need to react quickly, as delay can lead to the death of the animal. Identification of the cause and proper treatment will increase the chances of recovery.

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