Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-02-26
Cause of Calf Cholera.
A DISEASE ALMOST SURELY FATAL,
BUT EASILY PREVENTED.

c. W., Charles River, Mass, writes:
81 would like to ask you II you can tell
us what is the matter with our calves.
We have had three die in the last three
weeks. They die in from twenty-four
hours to three days after they are born,
and while with the COW, from bowel
trouble. Last winter We lost some in
the same way in one certain calving pen,
although We cleaned the pen thoroughly
and disinfected after each death. This
season We have had one die in q new
shed built last summer, so We are In
clined to think 1t must be in the con-
dition of the COW. One of our barn fore
men says he can tell when a calf 10 first
born, BY the peculiar look Of its nose,
that it will die. We shall take the next
one born away from the COW at once and
feed another cows milk. / hope you
can help U.s."
The disease your calves are dying with
is known rs calf cholera. As the dairy
man has told you, the calf Is sometimes
born with the disease germs in 1t.
have no doubt of that; and he may In
some cases discern it by his past expert
ence with it. 1t is disease that the
calves OF good cows are more likely TO
have than those of poor ones. The
primary cause is bacterial organism
that invades and infects the milk of the
mother and makes of 1t q poison instead
of food. There are cases where this
poisoned milk undoubtedly is taken in
TO the blood of the mother and thus
carried to the unborn calf, and it is born
as the dairyman told you.
have learned two facts regarding it; one
is that when cows are MIXED daily up to
the time of parturition their calves do
not have the disease, as there Is no &C.
cumulation in the udder; second, have
learned that COW owners should, from
time to time, examine the udders of the
cows when they are not producing milk,
and see IL there has or has not been
little milk secreted which has come
down into the milk cistern at the base
of the tear, and there by bacterial action
become a stringy or cheesy deposit. II
found milk it out of the udder, but do
not milk the COW q particle more than Ia
necessary to milk away this deposit.
Then the chances are the calf will not
inherit or nurse poison into its system.
also advise the giving Of all cows from
three-quarters to one pound Of epson
salts, and q half ounce Of powdered
gentian, about two weeks before calving,
and repeat weekly until they give birth
to their calves. With these two pre-
cautions the disease can DO prevented,
but when the calf once has 1t its evacu-
ations may, If they come in contact with
the fresh navel cord of other calves, con.
vey tho disease to them or infect stables.
As to cure, ! will say that young cali
is q mighty hard thing to doctor and
save its life. 1t Is always best to milk
away little of the frat milk before the
calf is permitted to nurse, and wasb the
teats OF the COW in warm water in which
a teaspoonful OF carbolic acid or creolir
has been mixed In every pint Of watel
used. As remedy for the calf, try Civ.
ing II an ounce each Of castor and pure
raw linseed oil, to clean the bowels
Follow with from q teaspoonful to q
tablespoonful of paregoric, given in ths
white of q beaten egg, with two table
spoonfuls of lime water. Give thii
every two hours until securing ceases
It will save some Of them sometimes,
but the better way 10 to prevent It, a
heretofore advised.-C. d. Smead II
Tribune Farmer.