THE DAIRY HERD

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 56, Issue 4054, 30 May 1938, Page 8

THE DAIRY HERD

CALF AILMENTS. Scours of various forms are among the commonest ailments to which calves are prone. In early infancy scours are manifested as a thin whitish excretum, while in later life the colour is black. Scours can roughly be divided into curable and uncurable forms. Among the latter are white scour and calf septicaemia. Both of these diseases are preventable, however, by proper attention to cleanliness in surroundings and feeding utensils.

Among the curable forms is included a simple diarrhoea which invariably results from the feeding of cold milk. It is also liable to be induced by over-feeding or too rapid drinking. A purgative, consisting of 4oz to 6oz of castor oil will usually correct this condition. In cases where the disease appears to be chronic and is accompanied by wasting, and possibly a cough, the presence of worms is indicated. The treatment for worms is as follows:

Take 4oz of bluestone and dissolve completely in 2 gallons of water. To this, solution add 4 fluid oz of blackleaf 40 (nicotine sulphate). Give each affected calf 2 tablespoonsful of the mixture at a dose. The treatment may be repeated in a fortnight if required. The cough referred to as a complaint which may accompany the form of diarrhoea dealt with above is due to lungworms. These: are always secondary invaders after the re-

sistance of the calf has been lowered by the effects of bowel worms. Eradication of the latter will enable the animal to ris itself of the lungworms. The treatment also assists in this direction since part of the life history of the lungworm is passed in the bowel, and consequently many worms will be removed before they can locate in the lungs. Black scour and constant bloating are due, almosit always, to the presence of germs in the bowels, which cause excessive fermentation. Treatment which has proved of value in these cases consists of the administration of 20 to 40 drops of formalin or lysol, according to the age, given in milk once daily for a few days. The treatment should, however, always be preceded by a dose of castor oil.