# Cow with diarrhea



## mlangfus (Jan 29, 2008)

I have a 3 year old Jersey with diarrhea for 2 1/2 days. Not bad yesterday and day before but worse today. Other than diarrhea no other symptoms. Eating/drinking / producing milk ok. We get about 5 lbs of milk a day. Low grade fever. Vet said take her off grains for 2 days. My question is it ok to feed here hay only ( we feed sudan) if we are still milking her for 2 days? Suggestions? We usually give her 4 lbs of alphafa pellets and 8 lbs of 16 % dairy mix 2 times a day.


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## Gregg Alexander (Feb 18, 2007)

Yes feed her grass hay for a few days, don't feed any grain.


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## Cotton Picker (Oct 10, 2008)

Hi Mlangfus,

If the manure is more pasty than watery, if your cow is eating well, not running a temperature (In excess of 103 degrees), eyes are bright and alert, muzzle moist, combined with the amount you are feeding her to get five pounds of milk (Less than a gallon) then it just may be that her diet is too rich. 

Like the vet advised.. Pull her off of grain, (I would also pull her off of the alfalfa pellets too) and give her all of the free choice grass hay that she will consume. I would also make sure that she has access to all of the clean water that she wants. You might want to keep some freechoice mineral/salt in front of her too.

If she doesn't improve and her condition deteriorates, check her for symptoms of:

Winter Dysentery:

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/22104.htm

Paratuberculosis:

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/55900.htm

I would continue normal milking practices with her, however, I would be a bit leery of drinking the milk raw until I knew just what was causing the problem.

Hope this helps


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## wigg (Sep 20, 2008)

I have heard where animals such as goats and cattle will sometimes do this when they come in heat. Is that true?


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Did you tell the vet you were feeding the sudan? Sudan hay is difficult to cure and it can create problems such as you animal is experiencing. I would take her off the hay and get some good grass type hay and feed her that solely to see if the scours cease.


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## Cotton Picker (Oct 10, 2008)

agmantoo said:


> Did you tell the vet you were feeding the sudan? Sudan hay is difficult to cure and it can create problems such as you animal is experiencing. I would take her off the hay and get some good grass type hay and feed her that solely to see if the scours cease.


Hi Agmantoo,

I considered the Sudan hay as a possible factor in the problems associated with the cow in question, however, I could find no data supporting diarrhea as a symptom stemming from a toxicity associated with Sudan. Although under the right conditions Sudan can be very toxic to cattle.

Nitrate Toxicity and Prussic Acid Poisoning In Dairy Cattle

http://interests.caes.uga.edu/drought/content/prussic.htm

If you have a source that points to Sudan as a cause of diarrhea, would you please share it?

I do agree that it might be advisable if some good quality grass hay were fed in place of the Sudan. I would say that if the acute symptoms subside, the previous ration could be gradually re-introduced one component at a time, to better determine what, if any, of the current feedstuffs was responsible for the presenting problem.


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## mlangfus (Jan 29, 2008)

We have been giving her the same sudan hay for last 7 months.


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## Cotton Picker (Oct 10, 2008)

mlangfus said:


> We have been giving her the same sudan hay for last 7 months.


Hi Mlangfus,

If the hay that you have been feeding for the last seven months is of the same quality, than I would not believe it to be the cause of your problem. 

It would obviously be your call as to what to feed your cow. The easiest thing would be to try the sudan hay that you already have as the sole ration for a few days and see if there is any change for the better

David


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Sudan hay harvested in the same field can vary considerably. A low spot that stays wet could have an impact on the cure. Patches of Johnson grass in the same field with the sudan can create a problem. Toxicity could be building for a while. Obviously if the level of toxin, if it is present, is significant the animal would have died. For the price of a few bales of alternate hay you can verify if a problem exists. It is you animal and your choice. To me it is a no brainer.


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## rancher1913 (Dec 5, 2008)

sudan hay or sudax or sorgum hay carry nitrates and nitrates have a cumulative effect--it slowly builds in the animals system till they can not tolerate it and will lead to nitrate poisoning. don't panic, just have your feed tested and back off any proteins your feeding. my cows live mostly on sudax and they get those same symptoms. I don't worry about the big cows if they are eating and drinking and look fine. the calfs I worry about and make sure they get taken care of


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

rancher1913
Have you associate the color of the sudan hay with the amounts of nitrates in the hay. Pea green colored sudan hay is not a preferred sudan hay to me. A nice golder yellow will seldom have a problem IMO.


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## rancher1913 (Dec 5, 2008)

color does have a lot to do with nitrates---cut young and green it is very high and left to mature it will turn golden, problem being its tough when its ripe. I shoot for haveing it just start to head out and freeze, that way the nitrates for the most part are gone and you can get it baled before the leafs shatter, don't always work but when it does the cows go crazy for it. saved back some calfs this year and they prefer the sudax over the alfalfa


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

I'd put the cow on straight grass hay like bermuda grass if available and give her a tube of probiotics. Most farm stores carry it and it's only about $10 per tube. It's just a paste of microbials that tend to re-balance the rumin. Make sure she's got plenty of fresh clean water, dry grass hay, and free choice loose minerals for a couple of days. 

Have you noticed any bloat before the scours began?


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## mlangfus (Jan 29, 2008)

Update. Cut food back to 1/3 for 2 days. Today normal stool. Did give probiotics last pnm and will do so again. She do not have bloat, and always acted normal during the whole episode. May be eating new winter rye grass that just started growing in our field.


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