Other Calf Diseases Flashcards
What are the three most important things to assess in a calf?
Demeanour
Suck reflex
Faecal score
What is the clinical presentation of navel ill?
Swollen navel
- may have spread up umbilical v - liver (poor px)
- or umbilical a - bladder
Secondary infection may occur due to bacterial emboli
- peritonitis
- septicaemia
- polyarthritis
Tx- amoxicillin for several weeks
Open abscess and flush with disinfectant twice a day
How can you reduce the risk factors associated with navel ill?
Clean calving area
- 9m squared per cow
- 4 inches of sand below straw
Dip the navel in strong iodine solution
- if the navel has broken short ensure it is very clean
Ensure adequate colostrum
How can you diagnose joint ill?
Swollen and hard navel Palpation of spread - peritonitis or extension up veins / arteries Ultrasound scan - differentiate from hernia - assess extent of spread
How can you treat joint ill?
Long acting broad spectrum ab - pen/strep, allamycin LA
Drainage
Surgery to remove infected Uranus / veins / arteries
What is the presentation of joint ill?
Usually secondary to navel ill
= swollen joint / joints with a swollen navel
Risks - poor calving hygiene and FPT
Poor px - joints fuse over time
How can you treat joint ill in calves?
Antibiotics
Joint lavage - difficult as needles clog with fibrin
Arthrotomy to flush joint
Antibiotic beads after flushing
Define bacteraemia
Bacteria in the blood transients you
Secondary to mucosal damage - rumenal acidosis etc
May seed infection to other part of the body
- joint ill, liver abscesses etc
Septicaemia
Bacteria multiplying in the blood
- concurrent endotoxaemia
= huge increase in membrane permeability
FATAL
What are the most common causative agents of calf septicaemia?
E.coli
Actinomyces
Staphylococcus
What is the most important risk factor for septicaemia?
FPT
At what age do you usually see septicaemia?
1-5 days old
May be seen later due to a decline in IgM at 5 do
What is a common source of the bacteria that cause septicaemia?
Navel ill
What are the clinical signs of septicaemia?
1-5 days old Collapsed Endotoxaemia - congested mm, petechiae, DIC Tachycardia CNS signs due meningitis
How can you diagnose septicaemia?
Lumbosacral CSF tap - frothy due to high protein content
- urine dipstick reads high protein
Gold standard blood culture - farm too dirty to do this really
How can you treat septicaemia?
Quickly - poor px if delayed
Fluid therapy
Dexamethasone
Bactericidal antibiotic IV for 10-14 days
Eg: fluroquinolones achieve the best permeability in inflamed tissues
Could also consider metronidazole
Other lectures recommend trying oxytetracycline first
What is the only bacterial causative agent of diarrhoea that also causes septicaemia?
Salmonella
What is the causative agent of calf diphtheria? How does it present and how should it be treated?
Fusobacterium necrophorum
Cp: necrotic smelling breath, ulcerations, sore mouth
Tx: penicillin
Source: dirty buckets - clean these
What causes abdominal swelling in calves?
Left sided - bloat
Right sided - volvulus / torsion - laparotomy required
Atresi coli - end section of colon not formed - PTS
Atresi ani - anus not formed
How should you investigate a swollen calf?
Clinical exam
Ping and listen to guts
Pass a stomach tub
Ping and listen to guts again
What nutritional causes of calf bloat are there?
Rumen drinkers
- milk goes to the gut and ferments
- this causes rumenal acidosis and metabolic acidosis
- mild diarrhoea and bloat
Peri-weaning scour syndrome
- poor rumen development leads to pasty scour and bloat at 8 weeks old
How can you treat calf bloat?
Treat underlying cause
Eg improve automated drinker hygiene
Pass a stomach tube
Insert a trochar if recurrent
What diseases occur in calve under 5 days old?
Septicaemia
Enterotoxigenic E.coli
What diseases are seen in calves over 6 days of age?
Malabsorptive diarrhoea and metabolic acidosis
Rotavirus
Coronavirus
Crypto
How should you treat an infected Urachus?
Flush with antibiotics (amoxicillin)
If this fails - surgery to remove the infected Urachus
What complications may occur after a hernia repair?
Re-herniation
Seroma
Infection
