Previously, digestive upset in a newborn cattle was considered one of the signs of concomitant diseases. However, over time, dyspepsia of calves was recognized as a separate ailment, which can occur not only in mild, but also in severe form.
Causes of infection
First of all, this disease affects animals that are fed with insufficiently fat colostrum. Often the stomach of newborn calves with low weight can not cope with the digestion of the daily diet. This is what leads to dyspeptic changes. The accumulated toxins poison not only the intestines, but also the entire animal body.
Infection of the stomach contribute to unsanitary conditions during calving and unwashed dishes for feeding. Also, dyspepsia of calves, the treatment, prophylaxis and symptoms of which will be given in this article, can develop due to poor nutrition of pregnant cows, leading to deformity of the liver and gastrointestinal tract of their offspring.
The mechanism of the development of the disease
It appears due to the inability of the gastrointestinal tract of the calf to completely digest food. This can be due to various reasons, including the method of feeding, late colostrum, overfeeding and immaturity of the digestive system of a newborn animal. As a result, toxins begin to accumulate in the calf’s intestines, provoking the development of putrefactive microflora and the occurrence of dysbiosis. After this, the animal's appetite disappears, metabolic disturbances increase, dehydration and diarrhea begin.
Main symptoms
Toxic dyspepsia of calves is characterized by a brighter clinical picture. As a rule, it develops as a result of untimely treatment of a mild form of the disease. But it also happens that the disease grows almost instantly. Especially often this happens in the spring.
The main symptom by which you can recognize a mild form is considered diarrhea. Usually it is accompanied by a slight change in the general well-being of the animal and a deterioration in appetite. The infected calf lies almost all the time, and a characteristic rumbling is heard in his stomach. A sick animal can start and moan due to intestinal cramps. He has rapid breathing and pulse.
Severe form is accompanied by ongoing diarrhea. This leads to a sharp deterioration in the condition of the calf. His eyes sink, his nose becomes dry, and the animal eats nothing.
Forecast
In most cases, with proper and timely treatment, mild dyspepsia of newborn calves results in a full recovery, which occurs five days after the onset of the first symptoms. In more severe cases, the picture is aggravated by drooping eyeballs, weight loss and dehydration. After the onset of intoxication, the sick animal quickly dies.
Calf Dyspepsia: Treatment
It is important to ensure that the infected animal is kept in proper conditions. The room should have a dry floor and fresh air. During the first twelve hours, the calf must not be given food. At this time, he should receive laxatives. The period of a hungry diet should be completed by eating natural gastric juice. If necessary, it can be replaced with a 15% solution of granulated sugar.
Twelve hours after a hungry diet, an animal diagnosed with calf dyspepsia needs to drink half the normal colostrum. Individuals who have reached ten days of age are recommended to additionally give a sugar solution prepared in chilled boiled water. After an eight-hour break, the animal should be re-fed with freshly pre-colostrum colostrum.
Between feedings, a sick calf can be given unlimited volumes of saline. Thirty minutes before the next meal, he needs to be given bacteriostatic drugs or antibiotics supplemented with sulfonamides or nitrofuran compounds.
Additional treatment
For disinfection, the animal is recommended to be soldered with a decoction of oak bark, flaxseed infusion, horse sorrel fruit or sage leaves. Ringer's solution helps against dehydration , and Novocaine, papaverine hydrochloride, or Aminazine can be used as an anesthetic. In addition, veterinarians often prescribe blood serum, casein hydrolyzate, as well as vitamins C, E, D, and A.
In addition to drug therapy, it is necessary to create conditions for heating and, at least once a day, to irradiate the room with an ultraviolet lamp.
Pathological changes
Dyspepsia of calves is often manifested by a general depletion of a sick animal. Most fallen individuals show a sharp decrease in muscle mass. One of the clear signs of dehydration is sunken eyeballs.
Often, everything ends in death. Dyspepsia of calves, opening after which occurs in conditions of difficult separation of the skin, reveals dry serous membranes. On the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, changes characteristic of inflammatory processes are noted. There is no deposition of epicardial fat on the heart. On the flabby muscle, slight signs of dilatation are observed. With a reduced spleen with sharply defined sharp edges, the capsule is poorly removed.
Preventative measures
Dyspepsia of calves is a fairly common disease. To protect your animals from possible infection, you must follow certain rules. The main role in this matter is played by the conditions in which the cows are kept. In the summer months, it is advisable to walk them on pastures equipped with special canopies, under which animals can hide from heat or rain.
In winter, they must be walked. You also need to pay attention to preparing animals for the upcoming birth. In every large farm, a veterinary isolator must be present, which eliminates the spread of all kinds of infectious diseases.
It is also impossible to treat pregnant cows with potent medicines, since such therapy is not a guarantee of a healthy offspring. The calving process itself plays an important role. The floor of the room where the delivery will take place should be covered with fresh straw. The face of the newborn calf must be thoroughly wiped. In the first hour after calving, the baby must be fed with colostrum obtained from a healthy cow. During the transition period, it is recommended to use salted water at the rate of 9 grams per liter. Also probiotic preparations and special premixes will not interfere. As folk remedies, you can use medicinal teas, jelly and herbal infusions.
Only by following these simple measures can a calf dyspepsia be avoided. The history of the disease has been thoroughly studied by modern veterinarians, therefore, correct and timely therapy is the key to the successful recovery of infected individuals.