Scouring Calves - dirty river water

patsy_mccabe

I have an ongoing problem with calves scouring on some land I have. The only water souce available there is a small stream. There is no mains water supply nearby and I don't think a well would do as it is low lying land with marl type clay.

The scour is semi-solid, green/brown in colour and no blood or mucus. Every calf has it at this stage. They are thrinving ok but all their behinds are dirty and on some bad days it can be complete water like.
I talked it over with the vet and he took a mixed dung sample from a few calves. He was expecting it to be Coccidiosis but very little showed up when he checked under the microscope. Ther were very few worms evident either. The full lab results are not back yet.

My own gut feeling is it is dirty water, even though the stream is flowing well.

ganmo

whats upriver of the field?

whelan2

maybe get the water tested, we had problems here last year with the council sewerage overflowing into the river

I said

Liver fluke by any chance letting them drink from a stream/river?
Might be it.

whelan2

I said wrote: »

Liver fluke by any chance letting them drink from a stream/river?
Might be it.

would calves get liver fluke?

I said

whelan2 wrote: »

would calves get liver fluke?

Not an expert but I would say so.
Correct me if I'm wrong.

greysides

whelan2 wrote: »

would calves get liver fluke?

At this time of the year, I doubt it.

patsy_mccabe

This is what I think it is. A lot of houses built along the stream in the last few years. I remember drinking the water from the stream when I was a kid.

Farrell

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

This is what I think it is. A lot of houses built along the stream in the last few years. I remember drinking the water from the stream when I was a kid.

Sadly I'd be of the opinion that sink water is directed to the stream. As the guys say get it tested but I'd imagine you'll have to get a fresh water supply

dohc turbo2

Pick up a mobile water tank , plenty in done deal or if u handy throw one together, I made one great job ,

patsy_mccabe

Just an update on this. I got a dung sample tested by the Vet from a pool of 4 or so calves that were scoury. Results came back negative for both Coccidiosis and worms. Only tested for these 2 ailments. Is this normal for a dung sample test?

I moved the worst calves to a new field with a mains water supply and a month later the scour is still there. Have one heifer that I need to get the vet for again as she is not thriving but all the rest seem to be ok.
Any ideas on this? Would it be a virus or maybe salmonella? The vet seemed to think it was the water too.

ganmo

tell your vet to get a box of these
http://eshop.biox.be/tetrastrips-rota-corona-e-coli-cryptosporidium-p-15.html

he really should of got them tested for crypto

patsy_mccabe

ganmo wrote: »

tell your vet to get a box of these
http://eshop.biox.be/tetrastrips-rota-corona-e-coli-cryptosporidium-p-15.html

he really should of got them tested for crypto

I mention Crypto to him, as I thought that's what it was and he said they were too old for that. These would be Feb/march suckler calves.

ganmo

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I mention Crypto to him, as I thought that's what it was and he said they were too old for that. These would be Feb/march suckler calves.

Ya they are but Crypto is a prick of a thing so would of been worth ruling it out.

Lizard_Moon

Ask your vet about Giardia.
Very hard to diagnose on faecal as intermittent shedding-Regional Vet Lab place to send samples. (In dogs we do a three day faecal sample to diagnose)
Dirty water a source.
I picked it up in a batch of dairy calves with only drain water as source.
Normal treatments for scour don't work.

bullnuts

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I have an ongoing problem with calves scouring on some land I have. The only water souce available there is a small stream. There is no mains water supply nearby and I don't think a well would do as it is low lying land with marl type clay.

The scour is semi-solid, green/brown in colour and no blood or mucus. Every calf has it at this stage. They are thrinving ok but all their behinds are dirty and on some bad days it can be complete water like.
I talked it over with the vet and he took a mixed dung sample from a few calves. He was expecting it to be Coccidiosis but very little showed up when he checked under the microscope. Ther were very few worms evident either. The full lab results are not back yet.

My own gut feeling is it is dirty water, even though the stream is flowing well.

Did you come to a solution for this? Rumen fluke ?

patsy_mccabe

No, never got it solved. Funny things is, I have two fields divided into 3 paddocks and only one got 18.6.12 this year, as I have more than enough grass and locked up with TB so cant buy in. Anyway there was no scouring this year until they went into the fertilised paddock. Land needs lime badly too. Plan to apply some in the coming weeks.
Because of all the rain, river is flowing well this year. I had one yearling bull with a very bad scour a week ago and it did look like rumen fluke to me. Bad smell and all that. It did clear up a lot since though.
Have you a similar problem?

bullnuts

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

No, never got it solved. Funny things is, I have two fields divided into 3 paddocks and only one got 18.6.12 this year, as I have more than enough grass and locked up with TB so cant buy in. Anyway there was no scouring this year until they went into the fertilised paddock. Land needs lime badly too. Plan to apply some in the coming weeks.
Because of all the rain, river is flowing well this year. I had one yearling bull with a very bad scour a week ago and it did look like rumen fluke to me. Bad smell and all that. It did clear up a lot since though.
Have you a similar problem?

Have a calf with scour so was looking up thread and when I read yours I taught must be rumen fluke from the river! My case was diagnosed as an infection in the gut ! Vet says cow has too much milk for the calf to cope with ! But that's not the cause of infection im sure only can't digest it ! His eating a little meal ! Good or bad for his condition I dunno but may help with the scour

Never wrestle with pigs

If the meal has allot of molasses in it they can scour from that to.

Ladeeen

Had the same problem with young bullock this year, was sure it was fluke aswel. Scouring for ages, eventually blood appeared in dung. Vet came out and examined, confirmed it as salmonella. Possibly picked it up from well water, got water tested last week and results confirmed this.