Dyspepsia of calves: causes of the disease, treatment

Previously, indigestion in a newborn cattle was considered one of the signs of concomitant diseases. However, over time, dyspepsia of calves has been recognized as a separate ailment that can occur not only in mild, but also in severe form.

Causes of infection

First of all, this disease affects animals that are fattened with insufficient fatty colostrum. Often, the stomach of newborn calves with a small weight can not cope with digesting the daily diet. This is what leads to dyspeptic changes. Accumulated toxins poison not only the intestines, but the entire body of the animal.

Infection of the stomach contributes to unsanitary conditions during the calving and unwashed dishes for feeding. Also, dyspepsia of calves, the treatment, prevention and symptomatology of which will be given in this article, can develop due to poor nutrition of pregnant cows, leading to deformation of the liver and gastrointestinal tract of their offspring.

Mechanism of disease development

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 by feeding, late colostrum, overfeeding and immaturity of the digestive system of the newborn. As a result, toxins begin to accumulate in the intestine of the calf, provoking the development of putrefactive microflora and the emergence of dysbiosis. After that, the appetite disappears in the animal , the metabolic processes become worse, dehydration and diarrhea begin.

Main symptoms

Toxic dyspepsia of calves is characterized by a more vivid clinical picture. As a rule, it develops due to untimely treatment of mild forms of the disease. But it also happens that the ailment grows almost instantly. Especially often this happens in the spring.

The main symptom by which you can recognize an easy form is diarrhea. Usually it is accompanied by a slight change in the general health of the animal and a deterioration in appetite. Infected calf almost all the time lies, and in his stomach a characteristic rumbling. An ill animal can shudder and moan because of intestinal spasms. He has rapid breathing and a pulse.

Heavy form is accompanied by persistent diarrhea. This leads to a sharp deterioration in the state of the calf. His eyes fall, his nose becomes dry, and the animal does not eat anything.

Forecast

In most cases, with proper and timely treatment of neonatal calves, dyspepsia, proceeding in mild form, ends with a full recovery, which occurs five days after the onset of the first symptoms. In more severe cases, the picture is burdened by the sagging of eyeballs, weight loss and dehydration of the body. After the onset of intoxication, the sick animal quickly dies.

Dyspepsia of calves: treatment

It is important to provide the infected animal with proper living conditions. The room must have a dry floor and fresh air. During the first twelve hours, the calf should 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.

After twelve hours from the moment of a hungry diet, the animal, whose dyspepsia of calves is diagnosed, should drink half the amount of colostrum. To individuals who have reached the age of ten days, it is recommended to additionally give a solution of sugar, cooked on chilled boiled water. After an eight-hour break, the animal should be re-watered with freshly squeezed colostrum.

Between feeding the diseased calf, unlimited volumes of physiological saline can be given. Thirty minutes before the next meal, it is necessary to give bacteriostatic drugs or antibiotics supplemented with sulfonamides or nitrofuran compounds.

Additional treatment

For disinfection, the animal is recommended to be decocted with decoction of oak bark, infusion of flax seed, horse sorrel fruit or sage leaves. Ringer's solution works well against dehydration , and as an anesthetic, you can use Novocain, papaverine hydrochloride, or Aminazine. In addition, veterinarians often prescribe serum, hydrolyzed casein, 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 exhaustion of the diseased animal. Most of the fallen individuals have a sharp decrease in muscle mass. One of the bright signs of dehydration is sunken eyeballs.

Often everything ends in a lethal outcome. Dyspepsia of calves, opening after which occurs in conditions of difficult separation of the skin, reveals the dryness of serous membranes. Gastrointestinal organs are marked by changes characteristic of inflammatory processes. There are no deposits of epicardial fat on the heart. On the flabby muscle there are insignificant signs of dilatation. With a reduced spleen with sharply separated acute edges, the capsule is poorly removed.

Preventive 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 case is played by the conditions in which the cows are kept. In the summer months, it is desirable to walk on pastures equipped with special canopies, under which animals can hide from the heat or rain.

In winter, they must necessarily walk. You also need to pay attention to training animals for the upcoming birth. Each large farm must have a veterinary insulator to prevent the spread of all kinds of infectious diseases.

Also, it is impossible to treat pregnant cows with potent medicines, since such therapy is not a guarantee of the appearance of a healthy offspring. An important role is played by the calving process itself. The floor of the room, in which the birth will occur, should be covered with fresh straw. The muzzle of the newborn calf must be carefully wiped. In the first hour after calving the baby must necessarily feed the colostrum obtained from a healthy cow. During the transition period, it is recommended to use salted water at a rate of 9 grams per liter. Also, probiotic drugs and special premixes do not interfere. As folk remedies, you can use medicinal teas, kissels and herbal infusions.

Only by observing these simple measures can one avoid such problems as dyspepsia of calves. The history of the disease is thoroughly studied by modern veterinarians, so correct and timely therapy is the key to successful recovery of infected individuals.