Intestinal disorders in the form of colic in calves are a common occurrence. The occurrence of the disease is sometimes provoked by diseases of the digestive system. Farmers can independently help animals suffering from bloating, which often accompanies colic. If colic is caused by foreign bodies entering the body, surgery may be necessary.
Types of colic
The appearance of the disease, in addition to gastrointestinal diseases, can provoke sudden disruptions in the body. Colic in calves can be divided into several types:
- the true type is caused by inflammatory processes or diseases of the intestines and stomachs. Alternatively, flatulence, intestinal congestion, acute dilatation of the stomach due to rapid consumption of feed;
- false colic is provoked by diseases of the bladder, kidneys, and liver. Infections can also cause the disease;
- symptomatic can be caused by surgery or the presence of parasites in the animal’s body.
Most often, the disease is caused by disruption of the intestines or stomachs. Moreover, intestinal swelling may be accompanied by peritonitis in some cases (thromboembolism). Intestinal colic without peritonitis is caused by flatulence, compaction or stagnation of food in the small intestine.
Causes
To prevent the occurrence of colic, it is important to know the causes of the disease. The most common options:
- in case of a sharp transition from milk feeding of calves to an “adult” diet. Sometimes colic is provoked by feeding sour cow's milk to the calf;
- Both calves and adult cows suffer from food poisoning;
- malfunction of the gastrointestinal tract or the occurrence of serious diseases of internal organs.
Causes of animal poisoning:
- deviations in watering or feeding regime;
- feeding the cattle immediately after a walk fermenting feed or low-quality feed (with mold, harmful impurities in the form of sand, soil);
- eating poisonous plants in hay or grazing;
- overheating or hypothermia;
- eating frozen food;
- drinking cold water;
- foreign objects getting into the food - all this also causes cramps and abdominal upset.
Symptoms and signs
By appearance, you can determine that an animal suffers from colic and something hurts, based on several primary signs:
- the calf is in a nervous, excited state, constantly moves its legs, does not stand in one place, tries to lie down;
- the cattle beats itself on the stomach with its hind legs, constantly fans itself with its tail;
- The calf's belly is swollen. The cattle refuses to drink and feed.
Secondary symptoms of colic include shortness of breath, atypical functioning of the urinary system (absence or frequent urination), and disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
Diagnosis of the disease
Veterinarians and experienced livestock breeders note that the calf’s stomach hurts due to various diseases. Therefore, to make a correct diagnosis, the animal is carefully examined and palpated, temperature and pulse are measured.
But you can’t limit yourself to just a visual inspection. It is necessary to conduct clinical studies of blood, urine, and feces.
How to treat colic in cattle
Before starting treatment, it is important to alleviate the animal's painful condition. Initially, the cattle are given a portion of vegetable oil and a mucous decoction to drink as a laxative. This is necessary so that the gastrointestinal tract is cleared of accumulated food.
Animals are given “Spazmalgon” to relieve severe pain caused by smooth muscle spasms, reduce elevated body temperature, and relax muscles. Camphor and caffeine will restore the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system.
If the colic is not severe, then other treatment methods are used. An infusion or weak decoction of chamomile will help eliminate intestinal inflammation. As a laxative, the animal is given a warm enema with a soap solution. You can also massage the belly and rub the calf, helping it warm up.
Traditional methods
To eliminate colic, first of all, decoctions and infusions of medicinal herbs are often used. This method is acceptable if colic is not a symptom of infectious diseases or foreign objects entering the body.
Decoctions of chamomile and St. John's wort suppress inflammatory processes. An infusion of oak bark has an antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effect. Tannins contained in the bark protect intestinal tissue from local irritation, while simultaneously inhibiting the inflammatory process and reducing pain.
When using folk remedies, you need to take into account that not every animal can be helped in this way (intolerance to certain herbs may occur). Again, decoctions are more related to preventive measures. Therefore, it is advisable that the veterinarian examine the sick animal and prescribe a treatment regimen, dosage of decoctions or vegetable oils.
What could be the danger?
In cattle, colic is most often caused by atony of the proventriculus (motility of the rumen, mesh and book stops). Acute atony can be triggered by a sudden change in food or diet, poor-quality compound feed, overfeeding with concentrates while simultaneous water starvation.
By eliminating the causes and timely treatment, you can quickly improve the health of livestock.
Secondary atony caused by infectious and invasive diseases (foot-and-mouth disease, botulism, piroplasmosis, fascioliasis) poses a great danger. If treatment is not started in a timely manner, the animals die. Taking into account the fact that many diseases are infectious, there is a danger of infection of the livestock.Such diseases reduce the productivity of livestock farms, reduce the number of livestock and entail costs for treating animals and carrying out quarantine and preventive measures.
Prevention
Thanks to timely preventive measures, it will be possible to reduce the likelihood of diseases and significantly improve the quality of animal care. The main prevention of colic in calves and adults:
- providing pregnant and lactating cows with a nutritious diet so that the calves develop a strong body;
- preparing the correct diet for calves, ensuring a smooth transition from dairy feed to standard feed;
- carefully checking food before feeding, removing low-quality feed or hay with harmful plants.
Both calves and adults should receive regular vaccinations. All animals must be kept in special premises that are regularly cleaned and disinfected. If colic is accompanied by suspicious symptoms, veterinary help should be sought immediately. It is recommended to isolate the animal from the herd for the period of clinical studies.
The appearance of colic in calves must be responded to immediately, since such an illness can be caused by a dangerous disease. If the colic is not severe, then the way to restore the health of the cattle is to drink plenty of water and abstain from feeding for a day. Then boiled vegetables and hay are gradually introduced into the diet.
