Calf Scours Crisis: How to Stop Diarrhea Fast & Save Your Calves 🚑💩🐄

A calf with relentless, watery diarrhea isn’t just messy—it’s a code red emergency. Calf Scours: The Deadly 48-Hour Countdown (And How to Stop It) Calf Scours: A Farmer’s Battle-Tested Survival Guide "I’ve lost calves to scours. I’ve saved calves from scours. After years of 3am barn checks and frantic vet calls, here’s exactly what works—from my pasture to yours."

8/12/20252 min read

🔍 Decode the Danger: What’s Causing the Drip?

(Stool Color = Your Clue!)

Decoding Calf Stool: When to Worry & Act

1. Yellow & Frothy

Cause: Rotavirus or Cryptosporidium ("Crypto")
Action: 🟡 Moderate urgency – Call vet within 12 hours.

2. White/Grey & Pasty

Cause: E. coli or Salmonella infection
Action: 🔴 HIGH urgency – Vet needed IMMEDIATELY.

3. Bloody or Black/Tarry

Cause: Coccidiosis or Clostridium (often fatal)
Action: 🔴🚑 ICU-LEVEL EMERGENCY – Rush to clinic.

4. Green & Watery

Cause: Nutritional scours (milk replacer issues, overfeeding)
Action: 🟢 Monitor + adjust feeding; home care usually sufficient.

💡 Pro Tip: The "Sniff Test"

Rotten egg smell? → Suspicious for Clostridium (deadly toxin risk).
Sweet, foul odor? → Often signals E. coli infection.

Always isolate sick calves, provide electrolytes, and track symptoms. When in doubt – CALL YOUR VET.

🏡 Immediate Home Care (Do This FIRST)

While waiting for the vet—support survival:

Hydrate or Die 💧
- Electrolyte Recipe:
  - 1L warm water + 1 tsp salt + 1 tsp baking soda + 2 tbsp glucose/sugar + 1 mashed banana (for potassium).
- Offer 2–3L/day via bottle or tube.
Probiotic Power 🦠
- Plain yogurt (2 tbsp/feeding) or calf-specific probiotics (e.g., Pro-Tect Quick Fix).
Belly Soothers 🌿
- Kaolin Clay: 30g mixed in milk (binds toxins).
- Slippery Elm Tea: Steep 1 tbsp in hot water, cool, syringe 100ml 3x/day.
WARMTH IS LIFE 🔥
- Calf jackets + heat lamps if temp <38°C (100.4°F). Cold calves can’t absorb fluids.

💊 Vet Treatments You’ll Need

(SA Brands & Cost Guide)

🩺 Calf Scours: Causes & Approved SA Treatments

1. Bacterial Scours (E. coli, Salmonella)

Signs: White/grey pasty stool, sweet/foul odor
Vet Prescription: Antibiotics (e.g., Spectam Scour-Halt)
SA Product: Neomycin Sulfate (Kyron)
Cost: R150–R300/treatment

2. Coccidiosis (Bloody/Black Stool)

Signs: Blood in stool, rotten egg smell 🚨
Vet Prescription: Baycox 5% (Bayer)
SA Product: Toltrazuril (identical to Baycox)
Cost: R200–R400/dose

3. Viral Scours (Rotavirus)

Signs: Yellow frothy diarrhea
Vet Support: Oral antibodies
SA Product: Livimune (Virbac SA)
Cost: R300–R600/course

4. Severe Dehydration

Signs: Sunken eyes, cold skin, weakness
Clinic Solution: IV Lactated Ringer’s
SA Product: Vetflo Electrolytes (Kyron)
Cost: R500+ (clinic)

✅ Critical Actions for SA Farmers:

START ELECTROLYTES IMMEDIATELY:
Rehidrat® (Kyron) or Virbac Revive®
Isolate sick calves & disinfect pens with F10® SC.
Never self-prescribe antibiotics – ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR VET.

Pro Tip: At first sign of scours:

Withhold milk for 12h.
Give electrolytes every 6h.
Collect stool sample for vet testing.

🔗 Trusted SA Resources:

❌ DANGER: Home Remedies to AVOID

Apple cider vinegar – Burns gut lining.
Human anti-diarrheals (e.g., Imodium) – Lethal to calves.
Essential oils – Toxic to liver.
Withholding milk – Starvation worsens dehydration.

🆘 10 Life-or-Death FAQs

Q: Can scours kill a calf overnight?
→ A: YES. Dehydration shuts organs in 12–24hrs. Electrolytes BEFORE vet!
Q: Should I stop milk feeding?
→ A: NEVER! Feed ½ milk + ½ electrolytes every 4 hrs. Malnutrition kills faster.
Q: Is bloody diarrhea always coccidiosis?
→ A: No! Clostridium (enterotoxemia) causes black tarry blood → needs ANTITOXIN ASAP.
Q: Can I use human electrolytes?
→ A: Risk! Human formulas lack bicarbonate. Use calf-specific (e.g., Rehydran).
Q: How to check for dehydration?
→ A: Skin tent test: Pinch neck skin >3 sec? Sunken eyes? → EMERGENCY.
Q: Are scours contagious?
→ A: Extremely! Isolate calf, disinfect boots/buckets with Virukill.
Q: Can probiotics replace antibiotics?
→ A: NO. Probiotics support, antibiotics kill pathogens. Use both!
Q: Why is my calf shivering?
→ A: Hypothermia or sepsis. Normal temp: 38.5–39.5°C. <37.5°C = CRISIS.
Q: Cost to treat scours?
→ A: R300–R2,000 (meds + IV). Prevention is 10x cheaper!
Q: When to call the vet?
→ A: IMMEDIATELY if: Blood in stool, unable to stand, temp >40°C or <37.5°C.

💛 Final Thought: The Farmer’s Vigil

Scours test us like nothing else. I’ve held calves at midnight, syringing electrolytes into limp mouths, praying for a swallow. Sometimes we win. Sometimes we weep. But every battle teaches this truth:

“Courage isn’t knowing if they’ll live—it’s fighting like they will.”

Need Help Now?

SA 24/7 Vet Hotline: Onderstepoort +27 12 529 8111
Emergency Electrolytes: Rehydran (Farmers Warehouse)

Share your scours survival story below. Your wisdom saves calves. 👇