Electrolyte therapy can offer critical boost during calving season
One of the most common and dangerous challenges posing threats to young calves is dehydration.
Electrolyte therapy can provide a life-saving boost for sick, scouring and dehydrated calves.
To help producers prepare for bouts of calving season sickness, experts offer advice on understanding and administering electrolytes in order to support struggling calves.
Electrolytes explained
Electrolytes are essential minerals which help ensure proper bodily functions and overall health in calves. Levels can be depleted quickly by illness and environmental factors leading to dehydration.
In mild cases, electrolyte therapy can offer a much-needed boost to young calves’ immune systems.
In an April 2019 Hubbard Feeds article, Dairy Research Nutritionist Ellan Dufour explains young calves are typically around 70 to 75 percent water by bodyweight and must be well hydrated in order to stay healthy and grow to their full potential.
“When calf diarrhea hits, it is critical to reverse the effects of dehydration to avoid metabolic acidosis, weakness, severe weight loss and/or mortality,” Dufour notes. “Oral rehydration by electrolyte therapy is an effective way to reverse the symptoms of dehydration.”
Electrolyte products are mixed with water and typically include a combination of sodium, energy, amino acids and alkalizing agents designed to get calves back on their feet, according to Dufour.
Dufour notes water is the most important component of oral rehydration solutions, adding most good supplement options will contain key electrolytes such as sodium, potassium and chloride, along with glycine, dextrose, alkalizing agents and gelling agents.
A Feb. 2013 BEEF Magazine article emphasizes the importance of reading oral electrolyte labels carefully, noting products vary widely and ingredients can sometimes be presented in ways which make comparisons difficult.
For this reason, consulting a veterinarian or nutritionist to evaluate choices ahead of the calving season can help producers choose the best fit for their operation to keep on hand when sickness strikes.
Stressors and symptoms
Experts note everything from extreme weather conditions, stress events, poor-quality colostrum and common calf illnesses can lead to dehydration due to rapid depletion of electrolytes.
Of these, diarrhea or scours is one of the most common culprits of electrolyte depletion.
“A scouring calf is a dehydrated calf,” notes Dufour, adding dehydration can often be identified by symptoms including diarrhea, depression, dry gums, sunken eyes and weakness.
After dehydration has been confirmed, experts with the Canada-based Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) recommend inserting two fingers in the calf’s mouth to test the suckle reflex, noting in cases of mild to moderate dehydration where calves are still strong enough to suckle, oral electrolytes can be administered at home and may help restore health.
If symptoms progress beyond mild dehydration, however, BCRC notes veterinary intervention or intravenous fluid therapy may be necessary
Administering electrolytes
Once a dehydrated calf has been identified, understanding when and how to administer electrolytes is critical to restoring health.
The two most common methods of administering electrolytes are using a nipple bottle or esophageal tube feeder with oral fluids.
“For a calf with a strong suckle reflex, oral fluids may be given through a nipple bottle,” writes Paige Carlson in a March 2023 Drovers article. “However, in cases where a calf is too weak or ill to have the motivation to drink electrolytes, the esophageal tube feeder is an effective tool.”
In an April 2022 article for VitaPlus, Dr. Megan Weisenbeck recommends producers dissolve oral electrolyte products in at least two quarts of warm water – around 100 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, which is roughly the same temperature as milk.
Whichever way oral fluids are administered, Weisenbeck and other experts state the importance of not mixing electrolytes with milk or milk replacer as this practice defeats the hydration purpose of electrolytes and can lead to negative side effects.
Instead, producers caring for dehydrated calves should continue feeding milk or milk replacer and administer electrolytes an hour after feeding, as calves depend on nutrients provided by their normal liquid diet to regain strength.
“Very few electrolyte formulations contain sufficient calories to support maintenance and gain,” says Weisenbeck. “Calories derived from milk or milk replacer are important to allow the calf to defeat the pathogen.”
In addition, BCRC emphasizes the importance of designating separate bottles for electrolytes and cleaning equipment thoroughly after each use.
“Talk to your veterinarian about a protocol for feeding oral electrolytes as the amount needed will change depending on how dehydrated the calf is,” BCRC concludes. “Continue giving electrolytes until the calf has stopped scouring, even if they look like they have recovered, because they still have the potential to be dehydrated.”
Grace Skavdahl is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
