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Calf Diarrhoea Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the causes of hyper secretory diarrhoea in calves?

A

ETEC e.coli

Calves under 5do

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2
Q

What is the cause of malabsorptive (osmotic diarrhoea) in calves?

A

Rotavirus, Coronavirus, BVD
Campylobacter, salmonella, clostridium
Cryptosporidium, coccidiosis
Calves over 6do

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3
Q

How can you make your own isotonic saline containing potassium and bicarbonate for use in a mildly acidosis calf?

A

5L H2O
34g NaCl
15g bicarbonate
5-8g KCl

Hartmanns is not indicated - expensive and contains bicarbonate precursors
- causes a dilutional acidosis

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4
Q

What is the best antibiotic for calf scour?

A

Amoxicillin

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5
Q

How can you make fluids for a severely acidotic calf?

A

5 H2O plus 45-60g NaCL
Then spike with
- 17.5g bicarbonate in 400ml for dairy
- 35g bicarbonate in 400ml for beef

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6
Q

What fluid rate should you start with in an acidotic calf?

A

80ml/kg/h - to give 2-3L in the first 45 mins

Maintenance = 10-20 ml/kg/h

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7
Q

At what age does VTEC/EPEC E.coli cause severe haemorrhagic scour?

A

18-21 days

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8
Q

At what age does Coronavirus and rotavirus cause scour in calves?

A

7-14 days

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9
Q

At what age does cryptosporidium cause scour in calves?

A

1-21 days

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10
Q

What TP cut off is a FPT?

A

<55 g/L

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11
Q

At what age does IgA and IgG stop being secreted into the gut?

A

7

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12
Q

What can you treat cryptosporidium with?

A

Halocur

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13
Q

What is w most important antibody for protecting again septicaemia?

A

IgM

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14
Q

What so the most common cause of calf diarrhoea?

A

Rotavirus

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15
Q

What are the sources of infectious agents in calf diarrhoea?

A

Adult cows
Other calves - pathogen multiplers
Diarrhoeic calves
Environment

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16
Q

What are the host defences in calf diarrhoea?

A

Passive immunity - IgA IgG - resecretion of IgM in the gut offers protection for 7d
Healthy gut flora
Healthy mucosa - nutrition

*if colostrum is not provided even following successful passive transfer the calf will develop diarrhoea due to lack of guy protection

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17
Q

What enviornmental factors influence the risk of calf diarrhoea?

A 
Age in relation to calving period - young calves at high risk
Stocking density - more contamination
Indoors - pathogens can build up 
Group housing - easier disease transfer 
Hygiene
- utensils
- calving area
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18
Q

What 3 area should you direct management at in calf diarrhoea?

A

Hygiene
Improving calf immunity
Reducing predisposing factors - good housing, temperature and humidity, reducing stressors

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19
Q

What complication may predispose a calf to FPT and via reduced colostrum intake?

A

Dystocia

Calf born with respiratory acidosis - reduced colostrum intake

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20
Q

How can you minimise calf exposure to causative agents?

A 
Clean calving area
Remove calf after 2-4h
Transfer into clean calf housing
Individual calf housing best 
Ensure good hygiene at feeding
Hospitalise sick calves

In beef systems

  • use the Sandhills system - ensure no more than 2 week age spread between group of calves
  • hospitalise sick calves
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21
Q

How can you maximise the protection to calves?

A

Dairy

  • 4L colostrum in the first 6h of life, and again in next 6h
  • continued colostrum feeding for 7days

Beef

  • ensure good dam nutrition 3w pre calving
  • frozen colostrum at bad calving
  • vaccinate dam against rotavirus
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22
Q

What vaccinations are available to give the dam to protect the calf?

A

Enterotoxigenic E.coli
Rotavirus
Coronavirus

Must be given 30day before calving
Must continue to feed colostrum for 21days to provide protection

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23
Q

Describe the Sandhills system in beef farming

A

Every week you move the non-calved cows

This prevents the younger calves coming into contact with older calves and ensures an age spread of less than two weeks

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24
Q

Sandhills procedure is not very practical in the UK. Describe the system used in beef systems in the UK.

A

If the cows calves inside, turn out as soon as possible
Cow calf pairs are segregated in age groups with no more than a 7-10day age spread
Calves are mixed when the youngest child calf is 4 weeks of age

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25
Coccidiosis in calves.
Seen in calves over 21 days Due to poor hygiene - particularly around troughs CP - dark scour +/- blood, tenesmus, BAR Dx - faecal oocyst count Tx - sulfonamides, vecoxan (coccidiostats)
26
Necrotic enteritis.
2-6mo Sporadic, usually fatal Unknown cause - poss vit E and selenium deficiency CP: Pyrexia, pale mm, necrotic gut lesions Dx: necrotic gut lesions on PME, thrombocytopaenia, leucocytopaenia Tx: none usually fatal Appears similar to BVD, necrotic lesions in gut and resp tract
27
Peri-weaning scour syndrome
Not fed enough concentrates pre-weaning = under developed rumen CP: pasty scour, bloat and poor growth at weaning
28
What mortality levels should a dairy farmer aim for?
Less than 5%
29
What what age should a dairy calf be weaned?
80kg (over 65kg) at at least 8 weeks old - ideally wean at 10-12 weeks old When eating 1.5kg of concentrates per day Most farms wean at 2 months
30
What weight should a dairy calf be at 1st service - 13-14 months?
``` Over 380kg (ideally 400) 60% mature weight ```
31
What is the daily live weight gain?
0.9 kg/day
32
What are the benefits of good nutrition in the first 5 weeks of life?
Higher daily live weight gain Lower age at conception Lower % to be culled at the end of the first lactation Increased total milk yield in the 1st and 2nd lactation
33
How can the traditional feeding regime be improved? | 2L each feed, 2x a day, wean at 2m
Wean at a 10-12w Acidified ad lib milk feeding or machine feeding BASICALLY AD LIB CALF FEEDING AND WEANING AT 10-12 WEEKS THE BEST IN THE LONG TERM
34
How can twice daily bucket feeding be improved?
Designed to provide for maintenance only - no provision for growth Encourage early transition on to solid feed stuffs to promote early rumen development and early weaning
35
What are the benefits of individual housing?
Calf can pick their own environment if a hutch is available Isolated so reduces the spread of infection Must ensure good ventilation and drainage Highly labour intensive Reduced growth rates
36
What are the benefits of group housing?
Better growth rates and welfare But increased disease High standards of management required to maintain adequate hygiene
37
In the 1st 14 days of a calf's life, what is the LCT?
15-20C Below this - uses energy to keep warm = less energy for growth + less energy for the immune system
38
How can you help keep calves warm?
Calf coat Thick dry straw Increase nutrition during cold periods - 50% extra at 0c!!
39
What are the rules of group housing?
8 calves maximum | 14 day maximum age spread
40
What is the maintenance requirement at weaning?
11 MJ/kg (65 kg) | Give lots of cake - encourages rumen development
41
What is the maintenance requirement at puberty?
9 MJ/kg | Hay/straw given ad lib
42
What target weight, height and BCS should a dairy heifer be at first service?
380-400kg 125cm withers height 2.5-3 BCS Need a 0.9 kg/day DLWG to achieve this
43
What is the pathophysiology of calf diarrhoea?
Dehydration / hypovolaemia = pre-renal azotaemia Metabolic acidosis - loss of HCO3-, lactic acid from muscles and colonic fermentation Hyperkalaemia - H+ taken into cells and exchanged for K+ Hypoglycaemia
44
What are the signs of a calf being 5-7% dehydrated?
Reduced skin elasticity Cold nose Slight sinking of the eye
45
What are the signs of a calf being 7-10%
Sunken eye Cold extremities Skin tent Weak or collapsed
46
What are the signs of a calf being over 10% dehydrated?
Collapsed, progressive shock
47
How can you diagnose metabolic acidosis in farm animals?
Blood gas machine - unlikely you would have this on farm | pH meter
48
Indications of fluid therapy in a calf
Calf unable to stand Severely acidotic Fail to improve after oral rehydration Severely dehydrated even if standing
49
What fluids should you use to expand the calf's blood volume?
Isotonic hartmanns solution - Na+ 140mmol/L - Bicarbonate 25-30mmol/L - k+ 4mmol/L Need to spike this with NaHCO3 in acidotic calves (bicarbonate) * care - calves can't metabolise all of the lactate to bicarbonate, therefore to need to spike with bicarbonate to prevent causing a dilutional acidosis
50
What volume of isotonic fluids should you give to a calf?
10-20 L Including 5 litres of hartmanns spike with NaHCO3 - 200 mmol/L for a dairy calf - 400 mmol/L for a beef calf
51
How can you expand the blood volume in calves?
10 ml/kg of 7.2% NaCl as an IV bolus Make sure that you follow this up with water orally
52
What are the risks of IVFT?
``` Thrombophlebitis Overshoot alkalosis Acidification of the CSF Hypocalcaemia Alkalinisation of the CSF in an endotoxic calf ```
53
What size IV Catheters should you use in a calf?
14g 3 inch - jugular | 18g - ear vein
54
What are 1st generation fluids?
Just correct dehydration | Include glucose to increase Na+ transport
55
What are 2nd generation fluids?
To correct dehydration and acidosis Contain bicarbonate And contain glucose to increase Na+ transport
56
What are 3rd generation oral fluids?
Contain glucose to address nutritional needs
57
What are 4th generation oral fluids?
Contain glutamine to aid villus repair
58
How much Na+ must oral fluids contain to be rehydrating?
120-130 mmol/L
59
How much bicarbonate should an oral fluid contain to correct acidosis?
25-30mmol/L
60
How should oral fluids be administered?
``` 4-8L per day As soon as the scour starts Use a clean teat and bucket Give little and often Feed milk too ```
61
What disease is caused by dystocia in the calf?
Oedema, bruising, fractures Hypoxia Metabolic acidosis Severe respiratory acidosis
62
How can you assess acidosis in a new born calf?
In sternal in less than 5 minutes - normal | More than 9 minutes = increased risk of death
63
How should you resuscitate a calf if it is not breathing after delivery?
Intubate 7-9.5 ET tube Put in sternal Ventilate with ambubag or blow down tube 50ml of 8.4% NaHCO3 IV
64
What antibodies are secreted into the gut to protect against scour?
IgA and IgG1 | Offers protection for 5-10 days
65
What factors cause insufficient colostrum intake?
Heifers have less colostrum that is more dilute High yielding dairy cows produce dilute colostrum Acidotic calves do not suck Holsteins have poor mothering abilities Big teats are difficult for the calf to reach
66
What factors affect the colostrum quality?
``` When colostrum is collected in relation to calving Breed of cow Parity Pre-partum nutrition Length of the dry period Pre-milking Abortion Induction Mastitis ```
67
When is the best colostrum collected?
Immediately post partum = medical colostrum
68
What factors affect colostrum intake?
``` Inadequate supply - quality or quantity Poor udder / teat conformation Poor mothering ability Maternal disease - mastitis Poor calf vigour and ability to suck - acidosis ```
69
How long should it take for a calf to start sucking?
Less than 6h Ideally less than 2 Best less than 1
70
What factors affect colostrum absorption?
Increased time from birth to sucking Method of administration Acidosis reduces absorption Induction of parturition - reduced absorption
71
What immunoglobulins protect against septicaemia?
IgG | IgA
72
What parameters indicate adequate passive transfer?
Total proteins >55g/L Zinc sulphate turbidity test >20 units Measure from 48h-10 days old
73
How can you assess colostrum quality?
Brix refractometer - cut off 22% | Colostrometer
74
How can you prevent a failure of passive transfer?
``` Good cow nutrition pre-calving Avoid dystocia Tube feed 4L of colostrum within 6h Supervise Frozen colostrum ```
75
What is the best colostrum protocol?
Remove from calf from dam within 2h 4L colostrum in 1st 6h 4L in the next 6h Feed tonic colostrum for the next 3-5 days Continue colostrum harvesting and storing at 4c Ensure feeding utensils are kept clean Clean and disinfect teats before colostrum collection Freeze colostrum from the first milking only, from low risk cows
76
What temperature and time should colostrum be pasteurised for?
60mins at 65c
77
What tissue of the umbilicus is most commonly infected?
Urachus
78
The infection of what tissues of the umbilicus results in the poorest prognosis?
Umbilical vein - goes to liver and creates abscesses
79
What does pitting oedema suggest?
Urolithiasis and rupture
80
What other investigations (on top of probing, reduction and US) should you perform in umbilical swellings?
Paracentesis - if you suspect peritonitis Plasma total protein / zinc sulphate turbidity test Differential white cell count Fibrinogen - indicator of chronic inflammation
81
If the hernia is less than 1 finger in diameter what would you recommend?
Leave it alone
82
What after care does a calf need following a hernia repair?
Minimum of 1 month box rest Do not turn out for 3 months Mix with smaller animals to avoid bullying
83
How should you repair a calf hernia?
``` Xylazine premed 2 line blocks with procaine GA Make an elliptical incision and dissect hernial sac Use vicryl to close ```

Diseases Of Cattle (18 decks)

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