Causes of diarrhea in a cow and how to treat diarrhea at home, danger
Diarrhea in cattle is a common symptom that speaks of the pathology of the digestive tract. There is not any one disease of which he is a symptom. To start treatment, you need to determine the causes of diarrhea in cows, know how to stop it, what medications and folk remedies to use, how to prevent the development of diarrhea in cows and what danger diarrhea can pose in cows.
Causes and signs of diarrhea
Diarrhea is a characteristic sign of disorders in the functionality of the intestines. Changes concern the frequency of bowel movements, which increases dramatically, their color and consistency (loose stools). Often the cause is inflammation in the intestines. They arise from feeding cows with poor-quality feed, changing the diet, abrupt introduction of new products, drinking cold water. In autumn, cows can develop diarrhea due to their eating moist frozen grass, from which fermentation develops in the intestines.
Animals can be poisoned by poisonous grasses in the pasture, they can be allergic to food and medicines, which leads to severe diarrhea. The cause of diarrhea can be a lack of proteins, minerals and vitamins, fiber. The disorder can be caused by bacteria, parasites, protozoa, viruses. In adult cows, diarrhea can develop after calving.
In calves - because of colostrum or milk of poor quality or, conversely, too fatty, with overfeeding. The disorder in young animals can develop due to unsanitary conditions of detention, crowding, and inadequate ventilation in the room. And also due to stress during transportation, vaccinations.
With diarrhea, not only the characteristics of the stool change, the disorder has a strong effect on the state of the whole body. The animal refuses to feed or eats, but poorly, weakness develops, the temperature rises.
A typical consequence of diarrhea is dehydration due to fluid loss, which can kill a cow or calf. Dehydration can be identified by dryness of mucous membranes and skin, insufficient urination, slow heart rate, and drooping eyes.
Diagnostic methods
Diagnosing diarrhea in cows is simple: if there is loose stools, frequent bowel movements, changes in the color and composition of feces, then action must be taken. However, before starting treatment, you need to establish the cause.
The diagnosis must be made by a veterinarian. In order for him to be able to correctly identify the disease, he must have information about changes in the behavior of the animal, temperature, and the nature of stool.When did the diarrhea start, what the animal was eating, whether or not there was vomiting, when was the last time deworming was performed. Based on the information and clinical picture, it will be easier to diagnose and choose a treatment.
How to stop diarrhea in cows
For the treatment of diarrhea, the cow is given drugs with various effects. You can try to cure folk remedies. But they can only help in mild cases and if the disorder has just begun. In severe cases, you should not count on their effect.
Medicines
During the treatment period, the cow is transferred to a diet. The animal is kept without food for 1-2 days, water is given ad libitum. After the starvation diet, the cow is gradually fed with good hay, some root crops and concentrates. Treatment of diarrhea in cattle: the animal is given absorbing drugs to remove toxins and a lot of water, glycine, "Apomorphine" is injected. To restore the water balance, saline, glucose, Ringer's solution are injected. If the cow is weakened, injections are given several times a day (total 1 liter).
Injections of caffeine and sulfocamphocaine are given to maintain the cardiovascular system (the solution is prepared according to the instructions). If the diarrhea is caused by bacteria, the cow is given antibiotics or sulfonamides. Antibiotic and novocaine - if there is blood in the stool. To relieve pain, the animal is given "No-shpa" and "Diprofen", "Analgin". After using antibiotics, it is necessary to give probiotics and enzymes to restore the intestinal microflora, disturbed by diarrhea and medications, and to prevent the development of fermentation processes. Preparations: "Sporotermin", "GastroVet", "Vetom4", "Multibacterin", "Acidophilus".
Treat cattle diarrhea with sorbents, rehydrates, antibiotics, analgesics and probiotics. All drugs, doses, regimen and duration of therapy should be determined by the veterinarian.
Folk remedies
At home, the animal can be given known astringents: decoctions of oak bark, flax, oats, rice. You can make infusions from St. John's wort, burnet, bird cherry, horse sorrel.
To remove toxins from the body, the animal is given activated charcoal or infusion of black bread, a decoction of wild rose and plantain.
Folk remedies can be used in combination, together with synthetic drugs. Calves can be given the same decoctions, chamomile decoction, salted warm water. If they feed on milk, it is removed, with diarrhea, it is not absorbed, contributes to the development of pathogenic bacteria in the intestines. After the disorder ends, milk is alternated with rice or oatmeal.
Is there a danger?
The danger for adult cows and calves is the loss of water (with diarrhea, it is removed faster than through the urinary organs) and the mass of trace elements, severe intoxication. With intense diarrhea, the loss can be critical, and the animal will die (in case of severe loss - in 2 days). In this case, only urgent drug therapy will help.
Prevention
To prevent cows from having diarrhea, all provoking factors must be eliminated. Make up a complete, balanced diet, food should be fresh, grass - without admixture of poisonous plants, root crops and hay - without mold and rot. Poor-quality hay and straw should not be placed on the bedding either, because animals eat them too. Do not graze the herd in areas where poisonous herbs are found. Make sure that animals do not overeat.
Remove litter from the stall as soon as it becomes slightly dirty and replace with clean straw. Monitor the purity of water, warm up cold (especially for feeding calves).Do not graze cows on frozen grass. Disinfect the barn and equipment as often as possible. Timely carry out routine vaccination and deworming. Sick individuals should be kept separate from healthy individuals until recovery.
Cow diarrhea develops for many reasons and is quite common. It can be the result of malnutrition, disturbances in maintenance, the result of stress, poisoning, infections. If the diarrhea is repeated and lasts for a long time, treatment is indispensable. Alternative methods can help in the initial stage of the disorder, mainly medications are used for treatment.
