Contents
One of the most dangerous diseases for calves is diarrhea, which, if not treated in time, can lead to death. As a result of prolonged diarrhea, a lot of fluid and salts are removed from the body of the animal, which leads to dehydration. Therefore, it is important to restore the water balance by drinking with special solutions. The electrolyte for calves during the treatment of diarrhea allows you to compensate for the loss of fluid, but it is important to correctly calculate the amount of solution, because its lack will not reduce dehydration.
In case of diarrhea, it is important to feed the calves with an electrolytic solution to restore the water balance in the animal’s body.
What is an electrolyte
Electrolytes are vital minerals for any living organism. They contribute to the restoration of water-salt metabolism and acid-base balance, and also help the full absorption of nutrients. The lack of electrolytes can lead to a decrease in the efficiency of the body as a whole, the loss of a large amount of fluid, as well as muscle cramps and, subsequently, death of the animal. With diarrhea, it is the loss of electrolytes that causes dehydration.
The drugs themselves, containing electrolytes in their composition, are divided into 2 types:
- water-replenishing solutions for the treatment of diarrhea in milk-fed calves;
- electrolyte powder preparations that support and normalize ionic balance in older calves.
The difference between these two types is only in consistency. For young animals transferred from milk to plant foods, the products are presented in the form of a powder, which requires preliminary dilution with water.
Useful properties of electrolyte for calves
Regardless of the type of drugs, their composition necessarily includes the following components and substances:
- water, contributing to the replenishment of fluid in the body;
- sodium is one of the main trace elements involved in the formation of an electric charge on the membrane;
- glucose, which facilitates the absorption of sodium in the gastrointestinal tract;
- glycine is a simple amino acid that acts as an auxiliary agent of glucose;
- alkaline substances – they are designed to reduce metabolic acidosis, especially bicarbonates;
- salts (potassium, chlorine) – are participants in the restoration process of water balance;
- thickeners that provide the necessary consistency of the drug;
- microorganisms that are assistants in the normalization and resumption of the digestive tract.
Thanks to this composition, electrolytic solutions have a positive effect on the body of a calf with diarrhea, restoring the water balance, and also normalize the digestive tract, which allows you to stop diarrhea.
Indications for use
There are several causes of diarrhea in calves:
- digestive system disorder, which may result from feeding with a milk replacer, when switching to plant foods, vaccinations and other similar reasons;
- diarrhea due to infection.
A calf with diarrhea quickly weakens and loses strength, so it is inactive and lies almost all the time
In the first case, the intestinal flora is not harmed much. Therefore, calves do not need intensive treatment, but they must be fed with an electrolyte solution. In the event of an infection, the animal must be closely monitored, as well as timely treatment with other drugs in addition to the rehydration drug. Diarrhea caused by pathogenic microflora can cause serious dehydration of the calf. Due to fluid loss, there is a sharp decrease in weight up to 5-10% per day. At the same time, the rate of rehydration increases as the degree of fluid lost increases.
Therefore, it is important to conduct a daily examination of calves, paying attention to such signs of dehydration:
- dryness, lethargy and decreased elasticity of the skin;
- irritation and restless behavior;
- impotence, in which the calf cannot stand, eat or even drink;
- the condition of the gums, the color of which in a healthy animal should be pink (dryness and a white tint means severe dehydration).
The percentage of dehydration can be found by the following signs indicated in the table.
Dehydration (%) | Symptoms |
5-6% | Diarrhea without the presence of other clinical symptoms, mobility and a good sucking reflex |
6-8% | Inactivity, depressed appearance, when pinching the skin, its smoothing occurs in 2-6 seconds, a weak sucking reflex |
8-10% | The calf is inactive, lies all the time, the look is oppressed, weakened, the gums are white and dry, the skin smoothes out when pinched for longer than 6 seconds |
10-12% | The calf cannot stand up, the skin does not smooth out, the limbs are cold, loss of consciousness is possible |
14% | Death |
Dosing and Administration
While the calf’s intestines are functioning normally, it needs to be soldered with an electrolyte preparation. But with a severe degree of dehydration, in which the animal does not even have the strength to rise, it must be administered intravenous electrolyte solutions.
Electrolytes are used as a solution, but to achieve a therapeutic effect, it is necessary to calculate the volume of the rehydration drug as accurately as possible, because if it is deficient, diarrhea will not stop.
It is very important to water the calf or give him an electrolyte solution until the diarrhea stops completely.
It is possible to correctly calculate the amount of electrolytes per calf using the following formula: the required percentage of hydration is divided by 100, the result is multiplied by the weight of the calf (kg). This number will indicate how much electrolyte solution the calf needs to be given with milk (its substitute). If this number is further divided by 2, then the result will correspond to the amount of liquid in liters required.
Electrolytes can be used with milk in the following ways:
- complete rejection of milk (substitute), using only a water-replenishing solution for the entire period of treatment;
- gradual introduction of milk into the diet during treatment (for the first two days, give the calf only an electrolyte solution to drink, on the third day give milk together with the drug in equal proportions, and on the last day of therapy, completely switch to milk);
- without excluding milk from the diet – in this case, they give a solution of electrolyte and milk in full, only at different times of the day.
Contraindications and side effects
As a rule, electrolytes have no contraindications and do not cause any side effects. Many veterinarians advise giving a sick calf exactly commercial drugs, and not trying to make your own electrolyte by mixing various substances. In this case, be sure to pay attention to the sodium content.
Conclusion
Electrolyte for calves is one of the most important drugs for the treatment of diarrhea. This solution allows you to replenish the acid-base balance, as well as normalize the water-salt metabolism in the animal’s body.
