Description and symptoms of diseases of calves, their treatment at home

Keeping cattle is associated with constant monitoring of the health of animals. Timely help allows you to save the animal, as well as prevent the spread of infectious diseases among the herd. Calves are susceptible to various diseases due to immature immunity. Every breeder can distinguish pathology and prevent development if he has some knowledge.

Classification of pathologies

Calves are considered young animals that have not reached the age of 1. They stay near the cow during the first weeks of life, and then begin to move within the fenced area on their own. Animals are susceptible to diseases, therefore, they need systematic diagnosis. Veterinary reference books contain information not only about the symptoms of diseases, but also about conditions associated with drinking water, poisoning, and various injuries.

• not transmitted to other animals;
• infectious;
• parasitic.

Infectious diseases

A dangerous category is represented by infectious diseases transmitted due to the development of a pathogenic microenvironment. They quickly spread from an infected individual to other animals.

Scabies

Demodecosis, or scabies, develops due to the appearance of a demodex mite in a calf. The mite infects hair follicles and sebaceous glands. Scabies is dangerous because it slows down the development of the calf and significantly weakens its immunity. Symptoms:

• the appearance of tuberosity on the skin;
• partial hair loss;
• gluing wool in separate areas.

To prevent the spread of demodicosis, calves are treated with acaricides. When scabies is diagnosed in one calf, treatment is required by all livestock.

Reference! Preventive measures against scabies include annual preventive treatment of the entire herd throughout May.

Streptococcosis

Streptococcal infection affects young calves during the first months of life. The causative agent is hemolytic streptococcus, which can be transmitted through the birth canal. Symptoms:

• temperature rise up to 42 degrees;
• the appearance of wheezing;
• increased heart rate;
• development of hypothermia;
• discharge of pus from the nostrils.

Sick calves are quarantined, antistreptococcal serum is administered, and antibiotics are prescribed.Sulfonamides, as well as symptomatic agents, are considered effective drugs. It is imperative to carry out diet therapy with the simultaneous administration of injections.

Dictyocaulosis

It is a seasonal disease that affects calves 3-7 months of age. Symptoms:

• attacks of sudden coughing;
• discharge of thick mucus from the nostrils;
• inactivity, apathy;
• temperature increase.

The causative agent of the disease is a nematode, which is localized in the calf's bronchi. Early detection helps to cure up to 90% of the young. The skin is treated with local preparations, iodine solution is injected into the lungs.

Pasteurellosis

The causative agent is a bacterium. It gets to the calf up to a year through water or airborne droplets.

Symptoms:

• apathy, depression;
• complete loss of appetite;
• increased heart rate;
• hoarseness of breath;
• increased body temperature;
• discharge of pus from the nostrils;
• severe diarrhea;
• blue discoloration of the mucous membranes.

Pasteurellosis is difficult to cure. Timely detection allows you to quickly prescribe diuretics, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial drugs. The starting antibiotic for the treatment of pasteurellosis is "Penicillin". After the acute stage of the disease has passed, the young are injected with a special serum. A concomitant therapeutic method is the use of antimicrobial drugs.

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Cryptosporidiosis

Cryptosporidiosis is provoked by parasitic species, cryptosporidium. They develop in the body for 3-7 days, localized in one place, forming extensive colonies. The source is contaminated animals and carriers. Symptoms:

• disorders of the digestive tract;
• weakness;
• decreased appetite;
• increased thirst;
• severe diarrhea.

A timely diagnosis makes it possible to treat animals symptomatically. Calves are given a remedy for diarrhea, water-salt metabolism is restored, dietary feed is prescribed.

Aerobic dysentery

Newborn calves are susceptible to anaerobic dysentery. Infection occurs during the feeding process. The reason for the development of the disease may be the use of dirty drinking utensils. The acute form can lead to the death of the calf. Symptoms:

• severe diarrhea;
• depletion of the body;
• dehydration.

Death occurs as a result of the development of pulmonary edema and liver dysfunction. If anaerobic dysentery is diagnosed in a newborn calf, then vaccines are immediately given to all young animals in order to save the livestock.

Colibacillosis

The second name for colibacillosis is white diarrhea of ​​suckers. The causative agent is an enteropathogenic E. coli containing a somatic antigen. Signs:

• a sharp rise in temperature;
• lethargy, apathy, loss of appetite;
• soreness of the muscles of the abdominal wall, which manifests itself on palpation;
• gray-white diarrhea;
• inability to digest colostrum.

Treatment of colibacillosis involves the administration of hyperimmune serum simultaneously with an antibacterial course. Preventive measures include antiparasitic sanitation and hygiene measures, which are carried out when keeping pregnant cows, as well as during delivery and in the first days of calves' life.

Paratyphoid

Paratyphoid is caused by Genter's wand. The disease is acute from the very beginning. Signs:

• loss of appetite;
• temperature increase;
• the appearance of pink sores on the abdomen;
• persistent diarrhea;
• apathy.

Treatment is based on the administration of an antiparatyphoid serum. At the same time, measures are taken to improve the conditions of detention, and the quality of feed is monitored.

Coronavirus enteritis

The reason is the ingestion of a particular virus. The lethal outcome is 30-50% of the total number of diseases. Signs:

• damage to the intestinal mucous membranes;
• atrophy of the stomach walls;
• damage to the mucous membranes of the oral cavity;
• the presence of mouth ulcers;
• bloating;
• persistent diarrhea.

Coronavirus enteritis can be treated with urgent vaccination. To get out of this state, special serums are used, and symptomatic treatment is also prescribed.

Non-communicable diseases

Non-communicable diseases are just as dangerous. They can cause serious violations.

Hypodermatosis

It is a chronic disease caused by subcutaneous gadflies. Gadfly larvae are able to parasitize in the body of a calf for six months, injure internal organs and tissues. Symptoms that develop gradually when the calf becomes ill:

• constant worry;
• itching;
• swelling;
• soreness of the skin;
• the appearance of bumps.

They begin to treat immediately after the detection of gadflies: they are vaccinated, put on antibacterial drugs, and carry out local treatment.

Advice! Infected calves should not be grazed with other animals.

Tympany

The disease affects calves when they begin to switch from dairy food to other types of food. Symptoms:

• repeated vomiting;
• refusal to eat;
• rapid breathing;
• hardening of the scar;
• an increase in the left side of the animal's abdomen.

Calves are injected with a liter of an aqueous solution of ichthyol or kerosene mixed with clean water. This technique helps to enhance scar shrinkage and reduce the amount of gas produced. The reasons are the following factors:

• the use of low-quality feed;
• change in diet;
• incorrect calculation of the daily volume of food;
• blockage of the esophagus with large pieces of food.

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Bezoar disease

Veterinary medicine claims that bezoar disease is most common in lambs. Calves begin to get sick during the period when they are weaned from the cows. This provokes a disturbance in appetite, as a result of which perversion may occur. The perversion is expressed in the fact that the calves begin to lick the fur of their mothers, and then of each other.

The hairs that enter the intestines collect in lumps, accumulate and provoke serious disorders. Sick calves must be isolated, the composition of the feed ration is improved, minerals and vitamins of an additional type must be injected, Apomorphine is injected subcutaneously, or tinctures of iodine with milk are given. Treat symptomatically diarrhea or constipation. Disease prevention measures include adequate feeding and proper maintenance of cows and calves after weaning.

Bronchopneumonia

Bronchopneumonia develops due to hypothermia. Treatment involves eliminating symptoms:

• lowering the temperature with antipyretics;
• plentiful drink;
• use of antibiotics as needed.

Rickets

Rickets in newborn calves is manifested by abnormal bone development. Fragility and deformation of bones lead to damage to the internal organs of animals. Rickets is the result of an unbalanced diet of cows, as well as a lack of vitamins and minerals. Rickets of calves are diagnosed on the following grounds:

• deformation of the skull;
• thickening of the joints;
• curvature of the limbs.

Nursing rickety animals is a lengthy process that requires attention. In addition to meeting the requirements for the content, it is necessary to revise the diet, as well as to use veterinary drugs that compensate for the lack of vitamins and minerals.

Dyspepsia

Dyspepsia is typical for young cattle. Dyspepsia is caused by a cow's nutritional deficiencies or the calf's inability to digest food. Dyspepsia is characterized by the following symptoms:

• lowering the temperature;
• the appearance of intestinal spasms;
• lethargy, apathy, rapid breathing;
• persistent diarrhea.

Therapy includes feeding the calf and using antibiotics to stop the putrefactive microflora.

Gastroenteritis

Gastroenteritis in calves occurs as a reaction to the inflammatory process of the gastrointestinal tract. Gastroenteritis can be caused by feeding the calf with poor quality feed, a sudden transition from dairy feeding to adult feeding. Gastroenteritis is treated with antibiotics and antimicrobial agents. At home, gastric lavage is performed, and it is also imperative to isolate the diseased calf from other animals.

White-muscular disease

"White", according to the researchers, arises as a result of a lack of certain groups of vitamins and minerals in the body. Outbreaks of white muscle disease are diagnosed in winter or spring, when vitamin deficiencies are especially noticeable. Symptoms:

• loss of appetite;
• apathy;
• persistent diarrhea;
• clouded eyes;
• rapid breathing;
• the appearance of seizures.

After the diagnosis is made, all means are used to restore the vitamin and mineral balance. Additionally, the treatment course includes camphor oil, which normalizes heart function. If the disease is complicated by concomitant symptoms, antibiotic therapy is prescribed.

What kind of nose should a healthy calf have?

The nasolabial mirror can tell a lot about the condition of the animal. The skin of the nose is distinguished by its special density and structure. A dry and hot nose often indicates an increase in temperature and the development of an infectious disease. But, if the dryness lasts no more than 10-15 minutes, then there is nothing to worry about. A wet and cool nose is considered normal. The animal can often lick it and provoke copious saliva. If the nose is unnaturally cold and blue, then this indicates the development of a disorder in the animal's body.