Special Precautions With Salmonella Scours

The phenomenon known as "calf scours" is essentially calf diarrhea caused by a range of viruses, protozoa or bacteria, including salmonella. Calf scours is the largest disease-related and financial issue calf and cow producers face, according to Cattle Today. Because bacteria such as salmonella can spread quickly among a population of calves and devastate a cattle or dairy farm, special precautions must be taken when a salmonella scour occurs.

  1. Salmonella Infection

    • The most likely species of salmonella to cause scours is S. typhimurium. Contaminated feed and other infected animals are often the causes of outbreaks on a farm. Calves as young as a few days can be stricken, but animals are more likely to be one to four weeks old, reports the journal Dairy Herd Management.

      Because hand-fed calves are less protected by the natural immunities that mother's milk provides, they are more susceptible to scouring, explains Cattle Today.

    Farmwide Precautions

    • When a salmonella outbreak occurs, the standard farm protocol dictates that the facilities be thoroughly sanitized and the infected calves isolated, according to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (CUCVM). Animals should be handled as if all of them they were sick. Clean all equipment and other items, such as boots and buckets, with chlorhexidine (three ounces per gallon). Other items, such as boots and buckets, should be sanitized with orthophenylphenol.

      More than this, preventive precautions are strongly suggested. It's critical that farms minimize the opportunity for fecal contamination of feed, feeding surfaces, water troughs and equipment. Also, control programs must be maintained to prevent the spread of bacteria by small animals. This involves getting rid of nesting and roosting opportunities, rodent-proofing and bird-proofing feed storage, and disallowing pet and feral cat access. And farm workers need to follow proper hygiene protocols in the handling of cattle.

    Calf-Specific Precautions

    • Treating the calves in a salmonella outbreak not only saves the individual animals but maintains the safety of the farm as a whole. Calves should be rehydrated from the loss of fluids caused by the diarrhea. This can be done by mouth, but in more severe cases, intravenous fluids might need administering. At the same time, antibiotics should be given, according to Cattle Today. Antibiotic treatment cures individual animals and halts the spread of salmonella across farm populations.

      Interestingly, animals are less susceptible to salmonella infection when their stomachs are functioning healthfully. This involves consistently providing sufficient dry matter (solid food as opposed to liquid) to the animals, reports CUCVM.