scour vaccine

[gopher]

The following question was asked over a cup of coffee: Is the vaccinating of cows one month before calving to prevent scours a commonly used practise among producers? -- comments!

[Muttley]

I myself do not use any vaccine's for scours. I bring in alot of new cows each fall to calve and many of them have been treated in the past for scours. Some of the owners tell me they do this because of past scour problems.
My own history with the problem is that as long as I keep the calves from getting wet and dirty after calving I seem not to have it. Since I have purchased a bale processor as well I have places where the calves can lay without mommies I have not had a problem.
I used to run newborn dairy calves in barns. We allways seemed to be fighting scours. The best, and I mean the best product was a powder we used to get from Watkins. A couple of spoon fulls right down the throut of the powder cures even the worst cases.

[bombay_43]

Our old standby:

1 pkg. certo (fruit pectin crystals)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons baking soda
enough water to fill a 2 litre container
administer via stomache tube

This "jams" up most cases of scours we have had. This past year we used no name brand pectin with equally favourable results.

Love to hear if any of you others have used this and with what success.

[rangeriderca]

I run a cow/calf set-up in Atlantic Canada, and do it in an old traditional barn. My cows are tied up in Mid Nov and stay there until End April. I calve them out in maternity pens and then return cows to stanchions and keep calves in group calf pens. They are out to nurse night and morning and then back in pens.

I do not now and have never vaccinated cows for scours. I also very rarely if ever have a problems with scours in the calves. I have found that by keeping the calf pens dry and lots of fan ventilation in the barn, as well, of course, as cleaning the stable out twice daily, that scours is not a problem or even a factor to consider.

I know that I am not doing anyting out of the ordinary, and I think that really the only requirement to keep scours out of the barn is keep the barn clean, dry and ventilated. It certainly has worked well for me fotr the past l3 years that I have been in the business.
.

[bombay_43]

Sorry! Should have read:
2 teaspoons baking soda

[cowman]

A fellow I met at the auction told me this recipe. Two liters of water, two eggs and a tablespoon of Javex bleach! I thought this was sort of weird,but a while later I mentioned it to a friend who runs a big bunch of cows. He told me a few years ago they had an outbreak of BVD scours in their new borns. He said it was brutal. Calves dying like flies and treating calves over and over day and night. He heard about this bleach deal and figured he had nothing to lose. He said it was miraculous!!! On even the most hopeless cases the cure was almost over night!
One day I had a young vet from the Maritimes out putting a heifers uterus back in. I asked him if he'd ever heard of this bleach thing. He looked sort of funny...and told me that his Dad had used it all the time on his dairy calves.
Now I've never had an occasion to try this so can't speak from personal experience. I've always believed the best way not to get scours is give them plenty of straw and plenty of room! Has anyone else heard about this bleach cure?

[corine]

The bleach cure is a new one to me, but someone told me to use Virkon (disinfectant virucide cleaner)on viral scours. Don't know the dose or how to dilute it, but would love to know more about it. I did notice the local UFA stores it by the other scour stuff (co-incidence?)

[hgb]

A couple years ago, a fellow in our district, was having terrible time with newborns scouring, he used alot of different over the counter drugs helping some. Not curing the problem the vet told him to try bleach, and that helped clear up some of the problems. (I'm not sure what amounts he used)

[cowman]

Corine: I don't know about Virkon but the one thing stressed by this guy was the eggs! I guess they coat the stomach wall so the bleach won't kill the calf.