How do you treat a dehydrated calf?

Asked by: Kate Diaz

Oral rehydration solutions, or electrolytes, are an effective way to replenish fluids lost during the course of dehydration in calves with diarrhea or heat stress.

How often should you feed a dehydrated calf?

They usually recommend giving 1 to 2 liters (or quarts) of the electrolyte solution 2 to 3 times a day. This is usually enough but in very young calves you may need to give it more often. Most calves do well if they get 4 to 6 liters (quarts) of electrolyte solution in 24 hours.

What can you give a calf for electrolytes?

Many signs of dehydration in calves such as lethargy, lack of suckle reflex, and reluctance to stand, are caused by metabolic acidosis. To counter this effect and raise blood pH, offer an electrolyte containing an alkalinizing agent like acetate, propionate, or bicarbonate.

What do you give dehydrated cattle?

Most dehydrated cattle need supplemental potassium and calcium as well as sodium, chloride, and water. Intravenous administration is indicated in patients with obstructive gastrointestinal disease and those with severe dehydration. Oral or intraruminal administration is less expensive and often very effective.

Can you give Gatorade to calves?

Feed at the rate of 1 pound per 10 pounds of body weight. A 90-pound calf might receive 2.5 pounds of electrolyte solution four times a day. Gatorade contains electrolytes and may be given at a rate of 1 quart per feeding in a nipple pail to scouring calves.

Is sugar water good for calves?

Energy source: A simple sugar, such as dextrose (glucose), provides quick energy to the calf and also assists with sodium absorption through the small intestine. Glucose should be included at no more than 200 mmol/L due to solution osmolarity limitations.

How do you know if a calf is dying?

Calves with sunken eyes and/or a temperature. Skin remaining peaked or tented when lifted, indicating dehydration. Weight loss and weakness. In severe cases, calves will collapse, become comatose and die.

What is the best calf electrolyte?

How to Pick the Best Electrolyte for Your Calves

• Sodium Concentration: 90 to 130 mmol/L.
• Chloride: 40 to 80 mEq/L.
• Potassium: 10 to 30 mmol/L.
• Osmolality: 500 to 600 mOsm/L.
• Strong Ion Difference: 60 to 80 mEq/L.
• One or more alkalizing agents: bicarbonate, acetate, propionate.
• Glucose: 2 to 3 grams per kg body of the calf.

Can you give a calf baking soda?

The older the calf is, the more acidotic it is, and will require more baking soda to correct the acid/base imbalance. A recommendation of 2-4 tablespoons of baking soda in 2 liters of warm water works quite well. In moderate to severe cases of scours, often the calf doesn’t feel well enough to eat.

How do you make electrolyte water for your calves?

Make your own

12 grammes (one tablespoon) of bread soda. 40 grammes (two to three tablespoons) of glucose. Each of these ingredients is mixed in two litres of warm water. Some farmers will make up little sachets of these electrolytes and have them on hand if a calf gets sick.

How do you save a sick calf?

Be sure the sick pen has good shelter, water, and loose salt available to the calves. Give dehy- drated, depressed calves 2 quarts of electrolytes 2 to 3 times per day and, if they are not suckling, 2 to 4 quarts of milk also. Calves that cannot stand should be deliv- ered to the veterinarian for IV fluids immediately.

How do you make a sick calf drink?

Let the calf start sucking on your fingers, something that comes naturally to almost all calves. As he sucks, slide the nipple of the bottle into his mouth and then slowly take your fingers out. It may take a few tries for him to accept the bottle, so be persistent.

Is Pepto-Bismol good for calves?

Oral Pepto-Bismol may be used to help soothe the intestinal tract of a calf.

What antibiotic treats calf scours?

TERRAMYCIN ^® Scours Tablets is an oral formulation containing oxytetracycline, a versatile broad-spectrum antibiotic that possesses potent antimicrobial activity, for use in beef and dairy calves.

What helps a calf with diarrhea?

The highest priority in treating scours is to give back to the calf the water and electrolytes that it has lost in scours – this is called fluid therapy. This corrects dehydration, restores normal acid-base balance, and replaces salts in the calf’s bodily fluids.

Can you give a calf Kaopectate?

It’s a good idea to give electrolytes anytime you catch a calf to treat it for scours, even if it is only the one time. Products such as kaopectate and other stool hardeners can be mixed in to help prevent fluid loss out the back end.

Does apple cider vinegar help with calf scours?

Anecdotal evidence suggests that adding 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to each calf’s milk bottle twice a day (each feeding) virtually eliminates scours. While there is occasional incidences of calves with runny manure, if they never miss a feeding it only lasts for a day or two.

How do you drench a calf?

Firmly squeeze down to make the calf open its jaw slightly. Insert the tip of the drench gun or drench tube using your the thumb placed in the mouth as a guide. Pass the tip over the back of the tongue being careful not to injure the mouth or the gums.

What do you do when your calf won’t bottle feed?

For calves that have no suck reflex due to acidosis, veterinary treatment is needed. This usually involves administration of sodium bicarbonate and/or oral or intravenous fluids. An acidotic new-born calf will be slower to sit itself up and lift its head.

How often should you drench calves?

Drench calves at 28 day intervals through the summer and autumn using a triple combination oral product, for example VETMED Triplemax. Do a 10 day post drench check once during the summer to determine if the drench is working effectively.

How long can calves go without milk?

If you had to estimate, how many hours, on average, would a newborn calf go without colostrum on-farm? If you are busy milking . . . it could be two hours. If you don’t have overnight staff . . . it could be anywhere from six to eight hours.

Should you bottle feed calves water?

Feeding calves free-choice water will increase feed intake and weight gain. Hay should not be offered until calves are weaned from the bottle.

Can you overfeed a newborn calf?

It’s important that you do not overfeed your bottle calves. Calves will eat until they are sick. The calf will look skinny and seem hungry every time it sees you. But feed only the recommended amount; overfeeding can cause overeating disease, a bacterial disorder that will quickly kill calves.

Do newborn calves drink water?

By 3 days of age, baby calves should be provided water free-choice in addition to their calf starter and milk or reconstituted milk replacer. Depending on the environmental temperatures and calf health, young calves may drink a quart or more of water daily.

How long can calves go without water?

“They need access to water every six hours, particularly in a feedlot. In winter, they may go 24 to 48 hours without water. Physiological status won’t be ideal if they go 24 hours without water, but they continue to function.

How much milk should a newborn calf drink?

Whole milk can be used to feed baby calves. Calves should be fed daily approximately 10% of their body weight (1 quart of milk weighs 2 pounds). For example, a Holstein calf weighing 90 pounds at birth would be fed 4.5 quarts (9 pints) of milk daily or 2.25 quarts per feeding when fed twice daily.