YOUNGSTOCK ▶▶▶
Colostrum in- take is very important for calves.
Protecting calves against coccidiosis
As coccidiosis is a serious disease that can result in significant economic losses, managing coccidiosis is imperative to ensure healthy youngstock.
BY MATT COLSTON, RUMINANT TECHNICAL VET AT ELANCO M
anaging coccidiosis, and reducing its impact depends on allowing a low level of exposure, so that young stock can develop immunity, but preventing levels of infection that will cause
decreased growth rates or clinical disease. Some practical tips on how to do that are listed here.
Treat all animals in a group If there is no history on which to base a strategic treatment plan, all animals in the group should be treated following a positive diagnosis of pathogenic Eimeria species on routine dung sam- ples, or immediately after clinical signs of coccidiosis are seen.
Take farm history It is important to get a diagnosis of the species of Eimeria to check if it is a harmful species along with considering the in- dividual farm history. Timing of treatment should be based on the timing of suspected exposure and knowledge of previous outbreaks on the farm.
Treat in time Ideally, treatment should be given after infection but before the parasite starts damaging intestinal cells and causing clinical signs. This helps to prevent the build-up of environmental contami- nation, reducing the risk of any animals in the group picking up a heavy infection and suffering from clinical disease.
Ensure good hygiene Water troughs should be cleaned and emptied regularly to help prevent contamination with faeces, and bedding should be kept clean and dry. Good ventilation will also help reduce infection pressure.
Keep animals in similar age-groups Older animals can act as a source of infective oocysts for younger animals. In addition, providing optimum grouping of youngstock will help avoid environmental stressors which can increase risk of disease.
Ensure adequate colostrum intake Colostrum taken in shortly after birth allows calves and lambs to absorb whole antibodies, which gives them some protec- tion in the first weeks of life. As these colostral antibodies decline, calves become vulnera- ble to infection.
▶DAIRY GLOBAL | Volume 6, No. 2, 2019 15
PHOTO: EMMY KOELEMAN
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