Scour is the most common cause of death in calves under 2 weeks of age. Several different infectious agents cause diarrhoea and the severity of the condition can vary from mild, where the calf recovers uneventfully in a couple of days, to extremely severe, where intensive care is needed to prevent the loss of the calf.

In all cases of scour, there are three main clinical problems;

1.     Dehydration – the calf loses fluids and electrolytes (chemicals necessary for the proper function of the body systems)

2.     Acidosis – all scouring calves experience a build-up of acid in the body

3.     Loss of calories – the scouring calf will likely take less milk and won’t be digesting that milk properly.

The first step in correcting these 3 issues is offering the calf an Oral Rehydration Solution, (ORS). This is commonly known as a scour sachet. These contain sodium, potassium and chloride to replace the lost electrolytes, buffers to neutralize the acid, and energy in the form of glucose. They are generally dissolved in 2 litres of water and are more effective than either water or milk in correcting the problems caused by neonatal diarrhoea. Nowadays, we continue to offer the milk feed as normal throughout the scour episode, as the calories, fats and protein are invaluable in maintaining body strength.

A calf that is scouring but still bright and drinking all its milk, may not appear to need an ORS but this is mistaken. A calf which has lost 5% (2 litres) of its body water will look completely normal from outward appearance but the 3 processes listed above will be starting to take their toll. Offering all scouring calves an ORS drink twice daily from the first  appearance of diarrhoea will help prevent the calf’s condition deteriorating, hopefully keeping them bright and drinking milk, giving them the strength to recover.

Recent work has shown that an ORS with a high level of energy will help provide the calories necessary to support the calf’s immune system and aid the repair of the damaged gut cells. Calves which are given a higher-calorie ORS will lose less weight and recover more quickly.

Most of the ORS products on the market contain only moderate energy levels, as they are based on older theories of calf rehydration.

Hydrafast has the highest energy levels of any ORS on the market and will best support the calf’s metabolism during recovery, while also achieving optimum rehydration and acid-buffering. It is fed as a separate 2 litre feed twice daily, at least 2 hours after the milk feed has been offered.

TO TRY A SAMPLE OF HYDRAFAST PLEASE CLICK BELOW