# Scours in grown cattle



## starjj (May 2, 2005)

Can they get scours? My 17 month old Angus heifer (bred) for next year seems to have really loose bowels. When she urniates she also has a bowel movement. I only have noticed this today. The other one is not affected. They are both on pasture and some hay just as a treat. They have a mineral block and I do give them one scoop of 12 percent cattle feed in the evening just as a treat. Any ideas of what could be going on or is it normal for her to be this loose?


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Cattle consuming forages such as lush clovers can be very loose and still not have a problem. I would put both animals on just hay for a couple of days to see if the problem self corrects.
Scours can be a symptom of very serious diseases so you want to isolate the cause.


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## FEF (Jan 30, 2007)

starjj said:


> Can they get scours? My 17 month old Angus heifer (bred) for next year seems to have really loose bowels. When she urniates she also has a bowel movement. I only have noticed this today. The other one is not affected. They are both on pasture and some hay just as a treat. They have a mineral block and I do give them one scoop of 12 percent cattle feed in the evening just as a treat. Any ideas of what could be going on or is it normal for her to be this loose?



Is there blood in the stool? Could she have coccidiosis?


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## starjj (May 2, 2005)

FEF said:


> Is there blood in the stool? Could she have coccidiosis?


I cleaned the barn stall today and I did not see any blood in the stools


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Depending on what she's been eating, as agman stated, she could just be loosened up a bit. As well, true scours could be problematic in mature healthy cattle. If they still have loose bowels/scours after a couple of days on just dry hay, I'd consider treating her with Corid or some type of bolus. (what some call scours are just loosened up bowels based upon dietary intake.) (real scours are usually brownish/clear liquid that shoot over the barn with little effort.) If she has scours, there's a problem. Treat her or ask your vet for advice.


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## ksfarmer (Apr 28, 2007)

francismilker said:


> Depending on what she's been eating, as agman stated, she could just be loosened up a bit. As well, true scours could be problematic in mature healthy cattle. If they still have loose bowels/scours after a couple of days on just dry hay, I'd consider treating her with Corid or some type of bolus. (what some call scours are just loosened up bowels based upon dietary intake.) (real scours are usually brownish/clear liquid that shoot over the barn with little effort.) If she has scours, there's a problem. Treat her or ask your vet for advice.


What francismilker and agman said:..................


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

When was she last drenched? What is her overall condition like?

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Forgot to mention until I opened up the fridge this afternoon and noticed the tube up on the top shelf. I also keep a tube of probiotics handy for such a case. It's real good at getting the gut churning correctly. Alternatively, you can get a large syringe without the needle on it and shoot her a cup of plain unflavored yogurt down her throat.


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## starjj (May 2, 2005)

Ronney said:


> When was she last drenched? What is her overall condition like?
> 
> Cheers,
> Ronnie


She was wormed in March (using a pour on wormer) and her over all condition is very good. They are both nice fat cattle.

Based on what FM said she does not have true scours. She has loose stools.


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

Ok, so unless this problem continues and/or she starts to lose condition, I wouldn't be too concerned at this point in time. You say that she is on pasture and as you have probably had a flush of autumn growth, it is likely to be going through her. Don't use your other beast as a benchmark as cattle have different rates of digestion the same as we do. Move her on to rougher pasture if you have it and feed a bit more hay.

If the problem continues, give her another drench as the change of season can often bring a influx of worms to cattle and sheep with not such a good resistance, and if that doesn't work, consider having bloods taken in case there is an underlying problem. The reason I suggest this is that I have a cow with persistent diarrhoea and nothing stopped it. I had bloods done and they came back saying that she was producing too many white blood cells but couldn't say why. 

Cheers,
Ronnie


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