Calf Scours
Description
Newborn calves are extremely susceptible to calf scours, or diarrhea, especially during their first 28 days of life. Bacteria and viruses attack the lining of the calf's intestine, making it difficult for the animal to absorb essential nutrients from milk. Profuse, watery diarrhea occurs, causing the calf to lose those nutrients and become dehydrated. If disease is severe, the calf may die; however, even calves that survive severe cases will have lifelong poorer performance than healthy calves.
Animals affected
All calves are susceptible to scours. Depending on the cause, calf scours can strike anytime from the first few hours after birth up through the first month to six weeks. First-calf heifers often produce lower quality and lower quantity colostrum and thus their calves may be more likely to scour. See health library article “Prevention, Clinical Signs and Control of Calf Scours.”
Common names
Scours, neonatal calf diarrhea, enteric disease
Causes
- Viruses: rotavirus, coronavirus
- Primary bacteria: K99 E. coli; Clostridium perfringens Type C, Salmonella spp.
- Parasites: cryptosporidia, coccidia
Contributing factors
- Inadequate or insufficient colostrum
- Inadequate quantity colostrum
- Difficult calving
- Poor sanitation
- Cold, wet weather
- Use of milk replacers can result in scours in some cases
- Over-consumption of milk creates an environment in which certain types of bacteria thrive, causing severe scours
Clinical signs
- Diarrhea, sometimes containing blood or mucus
- Dehydration, loose skin
- Rough haircoat
- Weight loss, weakness
- Death can occur 12–48 hours after onset of disease
Causes of scours, age of disease onset and clinical signs
| Scours agent |
Age of onset |
Signs |
| Rotavirus |
possible: 0–28 days;
most common: 1–6 days |
watery-brown to light-green feces, blood and mucus |
| K 99 E. coli bacteria |
most common: 1–7 days |
effortless passing of yellow-to-white feces |
| Coronavirus |
possible: 0–28 days;
most common: 7–10 days |
watery, yellow feces |
| Clostridium perfringens Type C |
most common: 7–28 days |
sudden death; fetid, blood-tinged diarrhea |
| Cryptosporidia |
most common: 7–21 days |
watery-brown to light-green feces, blood and mucus |
Coccidia |
most common: 7 days and after |
blood-tinged diarrhea |
| Salmonella spp. |
most common: 1–7 days |
similar to E. coli; yellow-to-white feces |
Disease management: prevention
For maximum disease prevention, follow these steps:
- Reduce exposure of newborns to infectious agents
- Separate healthy calves from sick calves immediately
- House in individual huts
- Be sure equipment, boots and hands are thoroughly cleaned after handling sick animals
- Reduce stress on cows and calves
- Assist with calving as necessary, especially with heifers
- Keep animals as clean and dry as possible
- Cows should be in Body Condition Score 3.5-4 for optimum calving and colostrum production
- Make sure calves get enough good-quality colostrum (first milk)
- 4–6 quarts in the first 8 hours
- Vaccinate the cow prior to calving, to provide disease protection through the colostrum. If the cow herd has not been vaccinated, consider using an oral vaccine in newborn calves prior to nursing to provide immediate protection in the gut. A scours vaccination program should include protection against:
ScourGuard 4® (K)/C and CalfGuard®
Disease management: treatment
Successful treatment of calf scours depends on rapidly rehydrating scouring calves. Oral rehydration products such as Re-Sorb® restore lost electrolytes and essential nutrients. In some cases, antibiotic therapy may be advised for bacterial scours.
Your veterinarian plays a valuable role in accurately diagnosing disease and suggesting the best therapy and management options.
Other Pfizer disease management products: Liquamycin® LA-200®, Terramycin® Scours Tablets
Economic impacts
USDA estimates that between 4 and 25% of all calves will die from scours each year in the U.S.1
1 Boland W, Cortese V, Steffen D. Interactions between vaccination, failure of passive transfer and diarrhea in beef calves. Agri-Practice. Vol 16:25-28. April 1995.
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