Salmonellosis of calves mainly affects young animals aged 10 days to 2 months. Salmonellosis is an infectious disease caused by Salmonella bacteria. Such an ailment can attack young animals at any time of the year, but salmonellosis in calves is most common in winter. Mostly calves that live in unsanitary conditions are infected. If the farm has small rooms and there is no elementary care for the animals, the young’s immunity is weakened, so the animals catch the virus.
Salmonellosis of calves
If left untreated, salmonellosis causes damage to agriculture, which is why farmers are trying to protect their herd. The disease is dangerous because it can be transmitted from a sick animal to a person. Care should be taken when working with a sick animal and always wear protective clothing. The most effective measure is the salmonellosis vaccine, which is given to calves almost from birth. The calf salmonellosis vaccine must be from a licensed provider.
Symptoms of the disease
Calves can become infected from other sick animals. Even if some individuals have already been ill with this disease, they are a source of infection. The virus can remain in the urine, feces and milk of the animal for some time. Calves are infected through the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms of the disease can occur at any time from 1 to 10 days. It all depends on the predisposition of young animals to viral diseases, the age of the calf, body weight, and the stage of the disease. Salmonellosis can be mild, chronic or acute, the symptoms are about the same everywhere.
Symptoms for Acute Salmonellosis in Calves
- Calves become passive, lie down all the time and want to sleep.
- Fluid may be released from the nose.
- The body temperature of the calf can be 39-42 ° C.
- There is no appetite or the calves eat, but very little.
- Diarrhea begins on the 2-3 day of infection.
- On day 5 and later, feces can flow out involuntarily.
If salmonellosis in calves is acute, then the symptoms may be different, and cough, conjunctivitis and a runny nose may be added to the standard manifestations of the disease on the first day. The chronic form of salmonellosis is characterized by the same symptoms, only arthritis is added. A chronic form of the disease can occur if acute treatment is not carried out properly and the course of the disease is delayed.
In chronic salmonellosis, young animals can be sick for 2-3 months, so it is very important to start treatment in a timely manner. In cows, the disease can be almost asymptomatic, since their body is already more stable. Cows are characterized by mood swings, lethargy, decreased appetite or decreased milk yield against the general background of the disease.
Treatment of Salmonella in Calves
Treatment should be carried out only in a comprehensive manner. In order to prescribe medications, you need to make sure that this is exactly salmonellosis. For this, a veterinarian is invited to examine and take tests from the calf in person. If a virus is found according to the results of the blood, then drugs are prescribed to eliminate the intoxication of the animal's body and to restore the functioning of the organs. Basically, the following antibiotics are prescribed: levomycin 3 times a day, the course of treatment is 2-3 days, the dosage is calculated based on the weight of the calf, tetramycin 3 times at 0.02 g per 1 kg of weight for a course of 4-6 days.
Polyvalent antitoxic serum is also suitable for treatment. Serum helps with malfunctions in the immune system. Also, serum is used to prevent disease and to treat calves and cows. Serum is injected intramuscularly, the dose of the drug is calculated based on the weight. Most often, the daily dose is not immediately administered, but divided several times, applied every 3-4 hours. In an acute form of the disease or if the condition of the calf remains the same, sometimes the serum is injected again. If, after the second serum, the treatment does not give results, then the cows or calves do not have salmonellosis and, possibly, there was an error in the analyzes.
For vaccination or any other injections, only individual syringes should be used. Each animal must have its own syringe. The place before the injection is wiped with alcohol, after setting the vaccine or serum, the syringe is discarded. In order for the drug to have a result, the storage and use conditions of the drug must be observed. If the serum is of poor quality, for example, there is no label on the bottle, the expiration date has expired or the bottle is open but not used, such a drug is considered unsuitable. When treated, it will not give the desired results. Serum, like the salmonellosis vaccine in calves, can only be used immediately after opening. Storage even for several hours is not allowed.
Cattle disease prevention
The most effective prevention is to prevent the spread of the disease, because such animals can no longer be kept in one pen, as infection of other individuals is possible. The vaccine against salmonellosis in calves is quite effective against the Salmonella virus. Also, many farmers speak highly of such a drug as the vaccine formolquast against calf salmonellosis. Vaccination is the most reliable method against infection. The vaccine cannot cure the disease, but the animal's immunity supports and strengthens. Vaccination formolquast or any other gives stable immunity not immediately, but only for 10-12 days.
The vaccine against salmonellosis of calves is valid only for about 6 months, then the effect of the vaccination must be renewed. Before you get vaccinated, the veterinarian examines the animals.
If young animals are not well, then vaccinations are not given. Also, if Salmonella is present, the vaccine is not given. In cows, vaccination is carried out 2 times with an interval of 10 days. They give the vaccine 35-45 days before the expected calving. If calves are born from a cow that has protection against this disease, then young animals are vaccinated once at the age of 17-20 days. If the calf was born from a cow that has not been vaccinated, then it must also be vaccinated once, but at the age of 10-15 days.
Compliance with full conditions of cattle
So that the animals do not get sick and have stable immunity, it is necessary to maintain normal conditions for keeping cattle. Every week it is necessary to carry out a general cleaning of the barn with the use of disinfectants. After each bowel movement, the floor in the cow room should be washed. To prevent animals from crowding in a small space, you need to expand the room with an increase in the number of herds, as in small places animals are sick more often. Be sure to conduct a daily inspection of the entire herd.
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If you identify any symptoms in a cow or calf, you should immediately invite a veterinarian, you should not self-medicate animals. Without a professionally established cause of the disease, you can make a mistake with the diagnosis and harm. To prevent the infection from starting up indoors, you need to constantly take the cows for a walk in the fresh air, and also establish normal air ventilation in the barn. If a calf or a cow is sick in the pen, then it is better to transfer them to a separate content, this measure is designed to help prevent the spread of infection.
Animal nutrition
To maintain immunity at the proper level, you should fully and efficiently feed your herd. Most infections occur in animals, whose diet is rather poor, there is a lack of vitamins. It is required to ensure that the cattle have enough fresh grass in the summer. Do not give your pets chilled and rotten hay. Also, they should be released with caution for a walk in cold weather, when the grass has already freeze.
In order to prevent rodents that carry many infections in the room, the food should be cleaned after each feeding and not stored in bags in the pen. Water should always be at room temperature, clean and suitable for drinking. Dirty water is also a source of infection and can weaken the immunity of animals. Vitamin supplements should be given periodically to maintain strong immunity of individuals.
If you follow the basic rules for keeping and feeding animals, no symptoms of ailments will be scary to home breadwinners.