Salmonella isolations should be checked by a bacteriologic sensitivity test to determine the antibiotics of choice. Enterotoxemia can be highly fatal to young calves. It is caused by toxins produced by Clostridium perfringens organisms. There are 6 types of Clostridium perfringens that can produce toxins, of which types B, C, and D appear to be the most important in calves. The disease has a sudden onset.
Affected calves become listless, display uneasiness, and strain or kick at their abdomen.
Bloody diarrhea may or may not occur. It is usually associated with a change in weather, a change in feed of the cows, or management practices that cause the calf to not nurse for a longer period of time than usual. The hungry calf may over-consume milk which establishes a media in the gut that is conducive to the growth and production of toxins by the clostridial organisms. In many cases, calves may die without clinical signs being observed. In the small intestine, there may be large hemorrhagic or bloody, purplish areas where the tissue looks dead.