Calf Scour Test Kits

john8984

Has anyone used the calf scour test kits. I know they are available from Osmonds and possibly other suppliers too.
Don't know the price but I think are fairly expensive. Would like to hear from anyone who has used them. Are they effective ? in determining what type of scour the calf has, if they are it would make it easier to treat the calf and well woth the cost.

Cattlepen

Used one for the first time last week. Flipping brilliant. Diagnosed cryptosporidium which I would not have guessed and would have wasted time with the wrong antibiotic. Think it cost about 16 euro. Worth every penny

Reggie.

Cattlepen wrote: »

Used one for the first time last week. Flipping brilliant. Diagnosed cryptosporidium which I would not have guessed and would have wasted time with the wrong antibiotic. Think it cost about 16 euro. Worth every penny

How do they work?

Base price

john8984 wrote: »

Has anyone used the calf scour test kits. I know they are available from Osmonds and possibly other suppliers too.
Don't know the price but I think are fairly expensive. Would like to hear from anyone who has used them. Are they effective ? in determining what type of scour the calf has, if they are it would make it easier to treat the calf and well woth the cost.

Our Vet charges us €2.50 per test. Only expense is bringing the samples to the practice.

mahoney_j

Base price wrote: »

Our Vet charges us €2.50 per test. Only expense is bringing the samples to the practice.

In sure ur vet is decent etc but I'd prefer my own test kit and be shown how to use it and interpret results

dzer2

Cattlepen wrote: »

Used one for the first time last week. Flipping brilliant. Diagnosed cryptosporidium which I would not have guessed and would have wasted time with the wrong antibiotic. Think it cost about 16 euro. Worth every penny

If you have that in one calf they will all get it. We use halocur here to prevent

Base price

mahoney_j wrote: »

In sure ur vet is decent etc but I'd prefer my own test kit and be shown how to use it and interpret results

I agree with you as I too like to row my own boat but at times that is not always possible or viable.

Although the one that our vet uses seems simple enough. It is a test tube with colour codes on the side representing the 5 main nasties. Which ever colour the liquid & dung sample represents which nasty it is.
Looks like this one
http://www.farmacy.co.uk/products/733-rainbow-calf-scour-diagnostic-test-x-5

feelgoodinc27

Cattlepen wrote: »

Used one for the first time last week. Flipping brilliant. Diagnosed cryptosporidium which I would not have guessed and would have wasted time with the wrong antibiotic. Think it cost about 16 euro. Worth every penny

What did you treat the crypto with?

Cattlepen

dzer2 wrote: »

If you have that in one calf they will all get it. We use halocur here to prevent

That's the only drug that cures it. Lost three calves already.

Base price

dzer2 wrote: »

If you have that in one calf they will all get it. We use halocur here to prevent

Don't agree with you on that dzer. We buy in a lot of calves every year. Last year we bought a bunch of 10 bwh bulls. Unfortunately one of them died from crypto 3 days after arriving here. We never came across it before but our vet was on top of the job. Administered halacur to the other 9 at the rate of 7mls per animal for 5 days from memory. We adopted strict hygiene practice to avoid passing it on to the other two hundred odd calves that were here at the time.
To be honest I never want to see it again. Also that halacur stuff ain't cheap either.

dzer2

Base price wrote: »

Don't agree with you on that dzer. We buy in a lot of calves every year. Last year we bought a bunch of 10 bwh bulls. Unfortunately one of them died from crypto 3 days after arriving here. We never came across it before but our vet was on top of the job. Administered halacur to the other 9 at the rate of 7mls per animal for 5 days from memory. We adopted strict hygiene practice to avoid passing it on to the other two hundred odd calves that were here at the time.
To be honest I never want to see it again. Also that halacur stuff ain't cheap either.

really depends on the age of the calf you buy BP

Base price

dzer2 wrote: »

really depends on the age of the calf you buy BP

Please explain. As I said this was the first and only time we have come across crypto and I would like to learn more.
Those 10 bwh were 7/8 weeks old when we bought them.