3 week old bottle calf scouring

[julierx1]

I have been feeding this calf powder milk since birth and she is doing great. I almost ran out of milk so made a trip to TSC yesterday and bought more. It is a different brand but pretty much same ingredients except that the new is medicated. I gave her a bottle last night and mixed 1/2 and 1/2 of the 2 milks. Went out the morning and fed her then afterwards I noticed she is scouring. It is runny green . I assume it was from the switch. Should I mix it weaker than it calls until she get used to it? What would you all suggest?

 

[she-earl]

Are the two milk replacers to be mixed up the same way? That would be the first thing I would check. I know that it is critical to mix it properly. If you are mixing it as required, you could give her a little bit less at each feeding. She should also have access to water and a calf starter feed. She should not get hay until she is six-weeks-old. Their stomachs are not able to handle hay until then.

 

[julierx1]

The 2 replacers are mixed the same. I just went out for evening feeding and noticed that the scours are pretty stinky. Still is sorta green and forms a puddle like pudding. Can this still be from the change of milk?

 

[redtailgal]

stinky and green = coccidia I think the change of milk is just coincidence.

Get some sulpha tabs or bovine scour stop. Take her off milk completely for 24 hours, and give her only electrolytes. Then after 24 hours give her half milk, and half electrolytes for a day. If there is improvement continue to make her milk a little stronger each day until she is back to full strength, back off and dilute it more if she worsens.

NO grass until her bowels are normal. None. she can have hay and her electrolytes/milk concoction, any thing else will only make this last longer.

You'll need to treat that coccidia NOW, as in RIGHT NOW, or you run a serious risk of her having permanent damage to her GI tract.

 

[julierx1]

Is Sulmet the same as sulpha you speak of?

 

[redtailgal]

yes

 

[julierx1]

I have been giving Sulmet for the past 2 days and everything looks good again. Thanks a million

 

[redtailgal]

 

[julierx1]

Ok well as I said yesterday the calf's poop is back to normal. I went out this morning to feed and when she is around I smell a very foul ( dead) smell. It has to be from her behind but do not know why. Can someone help me? She acts great and eating good also

 

[california cowgirl]

I had some calves that were sick from the soy in the milk replacer and thought they had bad scours and it never went away they smelled dead...stinky poo bloat and diareah it was the soy they could not digest beware of soy flour and soy products in your milk replacer they can not digest it they do not have the proper enzyme at that young age not till they are older!!! Hope the baby got better