Enterotoxemia

[WyomingRancher]

I went to feed this morning and found a 3 week old calf bloated and dead. I suspect enterotoxemia.

I've had trouble in the past and have tried to prevent the problem by having my cows on a good mineral program, giving the cows Scourguard 4KC prior to calving, and vaccinating the calves with Alpha 7 at birth. Also, this year I'm turning my pairs into a pasture which hasn't had calves in it for over 10 years.

I know this particular cow didn't get a scourguard shot this spring since she calved the day I worked the cows.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I could do differently? Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[Richard Doolittle]

What are you feeding the cows?

 

[tlakota]

WR sorry about the loss, sure is frustrating when those calves are doing so good...im getting kinda over nervous with the muddy lots around here for calves getting sick....i plan on putting the pairs out on a small pasture tommorrow...i have limited space around here so its tough to keep things separate but i plan on letting the bred cows run out in a field and after their calves are about 2-3 weeks old ill kick them on the pair pasture...ive learned in the past that new calves can get older calves sick, last year from doing this i havent had any problems with scours...could be a differet story though this year if it is wet this spring

 

[WyomingRancher]

Hi Richard, I'm feeding the cows alfalfa, and of course all of the imaginary grass they can graze Not much feed grew last year!

tlakota, it sounds like your method helps prevent sickness. I'll be able to turn into another pasture as soon as more water becomes more available in it. The springs and creek are covered with a lot of snow, but these 50 degree days are really changing that.

 

[Richard Doolittle]

If it's straight alfalfa, you may want to blend it down a little with some grass or something. I think it is possible to feed those cows too good of feed when they're milking heavy. We had problems with that one year when we put the pairs on second cutting afalfa right after they calved, thinking the better feed would be good for them.

I'm not a vet or a nutritionist, but I do try to remember and learn from past mistakes.

 

[WyomingRancher]

I agree, I don't like feeding straight alfalfa either, but it's what I could find to buy last summer. I think you are right in thinking it may contribute to my problem.

My preference is to mix alfalfa with our native grass hay, but last year I only put 40 tons of hay up. Almost wasn't worth hooking the baler up for, but the horses and bulls like it, and nothing beats the smell of grass hay

 

[WyomingRancher]

Hi Oldtimer,

I give them a 7-way at birth also when I tag them. I'm giving Alpha 7 which is supposed to give longer protection. I usually brand in April which normally is a good time to booster the shot.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Oldtimer,

I give them a 7-way at birth also when I tag them. I'm giving Alpha 7 which is supposed to give longer protection. I usually brand in April which normally is a good time to booster the shot.

Yep- I see that now... I hit the wrong button when editing and deleted my post ... Someday I got to learn to not talk on the phone and type at the same time :roll: ...I guess I was excited because they called from the North place and said the creek had started running- which will fill a lot of water holes and reservoirs....With the snowmelt running out of the hills today( over the road going into the place) by tomorrow it should be bringing down a good amount of water....

 

[Turkey Track Bar]

Wyo Rancher:

A seven way should include a C&D vaccine. You might however be dealing with a particularly nasty variant of Clostrium perfringens other than C or D. I have a vet friend who's hubby ranches and they had a horrid outbreak of Enterotoxemia caused by a different variant, (types A & B are also noted in the Merck manunal online http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp) that really threw them for loop. The Merck manual mentions that types B&C are the types that affect calves up to one month in age. So, you possibly are dealing with type B. These different types generally are not included in a 7 or 8 way vaccine. If you lose another calf to enterotoxemia, have a vet take a sample have it sent to your state diagnostic lab. The lab will be able to tell you which type you're dealing with. Wyoming has a pretty good lab, or a sample could also be sent to Colorado State University too.

Good luck. Remember that if you find another case, that you'll need the anti toxin to treat.

Cheers---

TTB :wink:

 

[WyomingRancher]

Glad to hear you'll have run-off! The ground is so powder dry here, it isn't running very far. At least there will be a few green spots where the drifts were :lol:

From mid-December to mid-January we had about four feet of snow, but the 70 mph winds with their 100 mph gusts came and piled it up into massive drifts. Most of the ground didn't benefit from the snow at all. Crazy winter!

Here's hoping for a good wet spring!

 

[DUKE]

One thing you may want to try if you have another case is give them a shot of C & D antitoxin made by Colorado Serum. Usually if we have a case of overeating we give 10 cc under the skin and 10cc orally along with a microbial paste or bolus of your choice.

Happy Calving!!

 

[WyomingRancher]

Thanks everyone for the information. When I last had trouble with enterotoxemia two years ago, I took a calf to the Wyoming State Vet Lab to get posted and it was type C I believe. That calf was under one month old also.