New calf sick

[Yoopergirl1211]

Hi everyone. I haven't been here since the BYC switch over but we just got two calves and have a problem. The younger one, less then a week, was lethargic this morning and has diarrhea. We have the electrolyte packs to give him and keep him hydrated but he also stood up with neck outsreched and tongue out a little bit not sure if that means anything. They are bottle fed and we got them at auction. What steps should I be taking other then keeping the fluids helooses replaced. Thank you!

 

[mysunwolf]

If I bought calves at auction, I'd have the vet out to come look at them and make sure everything was going well, possibly administer antibiotics and vaccines as well. Calves often scour because of a bacteria, but it could also be diet switchover as well. I know my vet would recommend a scour-halt medicine (we use SpectoGard, but there are versions specifically for calves as well) just to keep him from losing all his liquids that way (how watery are the scours?), and would probably give a long-acting antibiotic just in case of a bacterial issue. Alternating every other feeding with elecrolytes is a good thing, glad you are doing that. I'm assuming they're on a good quality replacer as well. How are they both doing today?

 

[Yoopergirl1211]

The new one that was sickest died last n

 

[mysunwolf]

Oh no I'm so sorry Definitely get the vet out for the one that is still alive

 

[Yoopergirl1211]

He jumped up this morning to eat and seems better. He was a week older and very healthy before we brought in the new one that died. We'll keep giving him meds and get a hold of vet.

 

[Latestarter]

Sorry you lost the baby. I hope the other one continues to recover. I would also contact the seller you bought the calves from. It may be that the calf never got any colostrum and from my limited understanding, if a calf doesn't get colostrum, it's pretty close to a death sentence for them. I'm NOT saying this is what happened, just thinking out loud. But still, I'd be pissed at the seller for selling me a calf that was dead so quickly after purchase. After reading so many things (horror stories) on here from folks who bought livestock at auction, I'd be very hesitant to do so myself... Especially as a newbie. Maybe if I was experienced and knew exactly what to look for and what to watch out for I'd be less dubious about an auction purchase.

 

[farmerjan]

Sorry to hear that you lost the calf. However, buying from an auction is the very last place most people should buy from. I've done it for years and lost more than I like. I will not say one bad thing about a seller that ships a calf to auction because even if they get the colostrum, these babies have no real immune system and there are more germs at a stockyard/sale barn, than there are on a public telephone.....
It is not the sellers fault. You are buying a calf that has 2 1/2 strikes against it just from the exposure. The older calf had a little time to get some immune response activated in it's system. Some dairy farmers ship a calf without having fed it colostrum, but few are really like that. It is more likely that you got a calf that a farmer shipped, it was bought by a middleman and then they ran it through the sale.
Protocol for a new calf from the sale barn. First DON"T BUY ONE!!!!! Okay, second, NEVER BUY ONE WITH A navel cord that is not dried. A wet soft navel means newer than new..... Third never buy one that has any scours, wet looking butt area, missing hair on butt or tail area. Fourth, when you do get one, give it a bottle of electrolyte formula with a thickening agent....there are a few that you can buy and they will say it right on the package. The calf should get a blackleg shot right off and probably something called first response or any type of newborn type vaccine that will help protect it from rota and corona viruses. These are the 2 that will kill them in a heartbeat. Also, coccidiosis is usually a problem, shows up more often at 10-14 days, that will often show up as bloody or black looking in the manure and if it gets to the watery stage you are in trouble. Also, Probiotics will help with the digestion. Then second feeding a bottle of milk replacer. Do NOT OVERFEED. Too many times calves get more than they really need and it will make them loose and that invites weakness = susceptible= sick = scours = dead.
I don't care what others say, any newer calf that I get will get a dose of colostrum. Even one that is a couple of days old. They say the calves can't absorb the antibodies, maybe not as much as a newborn...but their gut is still absorbing the nutrients so I do believe they can get some benefit. And the whole thing about colostrum, it is also a way to get the microbes in the gut tract working, get the meconium plug passed from a newborn, and get some other vital nutrition. I am talking a true colostrum replacer, not the supplement. Costs about 10-15 per bag/dose. Since I have my own cows I just save it and freeze it and then use at least a quart for a new arrival.

All that said, I no longer buy any babies from the stockyards. I buy directly from a farmer that I know feeds colostrum and who I trust to have a healthy calf. If you want to raise bottle babies, then find a farmer that you can deal direct with or else buy something that is a little older that is already eating hay and grain. And If you are fairly new at this, don't buy at the stockyards as you will be bringing home possible problems that will maybe cause you heartache and loss of your other stock at home. Many of the calves that go through the sale barns go on commercial veal farms and they know every trick in the book to save a calf. Many baby calves also go directly to slaughter for baby food veal . so they don't have to live for more than a couple of days. Fact of life.