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Diarrhea in a cow after calving is so common that many owners consider it normal. Of course it isn’t. Indigestion should not be related to the birth of offspring, otherwise female animals would not survive in nature.
Why does a cow have diarrhea after calving?
Causes of diarrhea in a cow after calving can be infectious or caused by a metabolic disorder:
- ketosis;
- acidosis;
- alkalosis;
- eating the afterbirth;
- postpartum sepsis;
- enteritis;
- helminthiases;
- allergy;
- hormonal surge.
It is quite easy to disturb a cow’s digestion. At calving, the uterus can eat the released placenta. If this is normal for carnivorous mammals, then in herbivores the placenta can cause severe indigestion. To a large extent, this is due to the fact that there are a lot of hormones in the tissues of the child’s place. And the stomach of herbivores is not adapted to eating a large amount of animal protein.
Also, according to the observations of livestock breeders, diarrhea can occur after drinking sweet water to a cow. Here the owner finds himself between a rock and a hard place. Drinking sugar dissolved in water is recommended for the prevention of postpartum paresis. But a large amount of easily digestible carbohydrates provokes rumen acidosis. As a result, the cow develops diarrhea after calving. But it is not always possible to guess with the dosage of sugar syrup in order to “walk along the razor’s edge”.
What is the danger of diarrhea in a cow after calving
Immediately after the birth of a calf, a cow needs a lot of liquid: she needs not only to “provide” her own soft tissues with water, but also to give her baby milk to drink. That is why after the birth of offspring, any pets are recommended to give warm water first of all.
Diarrhea, especially severe, dehydrates the body. As a result, the uterus will not have enough moisture either to produce milk for the calf, or for its own needs. A cub left without food is half the trouble if the owner has other dairy cows. But with severe dehydration, the animals die, and the result of diarrhea can be the loss of livestock.
Since diarrhea is the result of a malfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, in addition to loss of moisture, pathogenic microflora begins to develop in the intestine.
What to do if a cow has diarrhea after calving
Considering that with diarrhea, dehydration occurs very quickly, it is necessary to treat diarrhea in a cow after calving when the first signs of illness appear. It’s not worth waiting for things to get better all of a sudden. First of all, all juicy and concentrated feeds are excluded from the cow’s diet, leaving only hay.
With diarrhea, only symptomatic therapy is most often possible, since it is necessary to treat the cause, not the symptom. But the elimination of the symptom alleviates the condition of the cow and contributes to its recovery. You can stop diarrhea after calving with the help of medicines or folk methods. The first is more reliable, the second is cheaper and often more affordable.
In some cases, enzymes help to cope with diarrhea after calving, but sometimes other remedies are needed.
Drug treatment of diarrhea in a cow after calving
It makes sense to use antibiotics for diarrhea if they are aimed at treating the underlying disease. To regulate the reproduction of pathogenic bacteria, drugs are used only in the case of advanced diarrhea, when dysbacteriosis has already begun. To destroy harmful microflora in the gastrointestinal tract, antibiotics of the tetracycline group are mainly used. You can also use sulfa drugs. But the dosage in any case should be determined by the veterinarian. Especially considering that the cow after calving must feed the newborn.
For symptomatic help to a cow with diarrhea, use:
- electrolytes;
- saline;
- glucose solution;
- drugs that slow down peristalsis;
- enzymes;
- probiotics.
Electrolytes allow you to restore the water-salt balance, which is disturbed with profuse diarrhea. They are produced in the form of powders that need to be dissolved in water. They have a rather complex composition, and it is impossible to prepare the electrolyte on their own. Not everyone may have sachets with the finished product at hand.
As a first approximation, the electrolyte can be replaced with a solution of ordinary table salt at a concentration of 0,9%. This is the concentration of non-sterile saline. You can’t drip into a vein, but you can drink 2 liters by force.
Sorbents are used to remove and bind toxins formed in the intestines. The most commonly used activated carbon and aluminum oxide. The most affordable drug is coal.
Enzyme preparations are used in complex treatment in case of malfunction of the glands. To restore the beneficial intestinal microflora, cows are given probiotics. However, there are opposing opinions about these drugs:
- probiotic necessary for pride;
- Intestinal bacteria reproduce well on their own.
In any case, there will definitely be no harm from probiotics. But the visible effect of them is usually not achieved.
Probiotics help restore the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract after diarrhea
Folk remedies
To prepare a decoction for diarrhea use:
- rice;
- oak bark;
- pharmaceutical chamomile;
- althea root;
- tansy;
- sagebrush;
- nineteen;
- Hypericum
When giving St. It is poisonous in large quantities. Chamomile is brewed when there is a suspicion of a bacteriological cause of diarrhea.
The most accessible and least dangerous of herbal preparations are oak bark and rice. The latter belongs to the category of products, the decoction of which can be given in any quantity without fear of an overdose. For 10 liters of water you will need 1 kg of rice, which will need to be boiled. The cooled broth should be soldered 1,5-2 liters every 2-3 hours. At the end, you can feed the remaining thick, if the cow begins to eat it.
A large amount of tannins in the oak bark can cause poisoning, so the concentration of the infusion should not be high. For 10 liters of water, 0,5 kg of bark will be enough. It is boiled over low heat for 30 minutes. Then cool and dilute the broth with an equal amount of water. You can store it for 2-3 days, but in a cool place.
If there are dried herbs of chamomile, tansy, St. John’s wort and others like them in stocks, you can simply add them to the cow in the hay. But the advantage of decoctions is in the intake of additional fluid needed after calving.
Preventive measures
The main preventive measures are the correct high-quality diet and timely deworming. To prevent indigestion, cows should be given only good-quality feed: without mold and poisonous plants.
The lack of trace elements often causes a perversion of appetite in cows, and the use of not quite edible substances causes diarrhea. Proper balancing of the diet for vitamins and minerals will help to avoid such a problem.
Since diarrhea can be contagious, it is necessary to follow the vaccination schedule and sanitary hygiene of the premises for keeping pregnant cows. Keeping the bedding clean also helps prevent the development of diarrhea after calving.
Clean bedding and quality food greatly reduce the chance of developing diarrhea.
Conclusion
Diarrhea in a cow after calving is not at all a common occurrence. It can be avoided if you follow the rules for keeping and feeding cattle.