As advisors to our farm clients, nothing gives vets more satisfaction than clarity. For example, a lame cow with a solar ulcer needs corrective trimming, relief from weight bearing using a block and pain relief. We know the causes and can help advise on the prevention and ensure treatment is appropriate.

Unfortunately there are many situations where we do not achieve this level of clarity, and we need to work on the evidence in front of us to make an informed judgement on the likely causes and progression. A good example of this is a scouring cow. We have the ability to fully examine only two foot of the gastro-intestinal tract, and make partial judgements on the rest; issues anywhere along its length can result in a failure to function properly and therefore diarrhoea. To confuse the situation further, the causes of rumeno-intestinal upset are incredibly variable with both infectious and non-infectious conditions.

Often most of the advice with regards to treatment of the scouring cow is centred around supporting the cow, and more importantly its rumen. This is to allow function to return to normal and facilitate a full recovery. In much the same way as when we have an upset we try not to challenge our stomach too much, ensuring the cow has access to foodstuffs which are simple for it to digest naturally is key. This can include fresh grass (as long as it is not too early in the year when the sugars and proteins can be very high), good quality silage, haylage, or ideally a combination of these as the cow will often select the best food for herself.

Equally, avoiding or certainly limiting those foodstuffs which are likely to challenge the intestines would be recommended. I would never advise feeding mouldy food to a cow, but extra effort must be taken once she has already been subjected to an upset to remove any offending feeds. Rapidly digestible carbohydrates require a fully functioning intestinal system to be able to digest these without spill-over into the hind-gut, where they will often cause scour. Similarly the reduction in the rumen pH caused by this kind of feed will alter the ability of the rumen bugs to function and delay recovery. Reducing the levels of concentrate feeding is a sound precaution in a scouring animal.

Proprietary products are available to help the recovery of scouring cows and whilst many of these would seem to be beneficial, there is very little evidence behind any of them. There is also a wide range of products available, some of which have been carefully formulated to contain the electrolytes and minerals likely to be lost in scouring or sick cows; whereas others seem to have little science behind what they contain. Please check with your vet which is the most suitable for you to use. Anecdotally, I feel that Kaogel, a Kaolin based binder can provide symptomatic relief for scouring cows, and activated charcoal can be useful when we suspect aberrant ingestion.

Having given some general guidelines, it is important to remember that we can diagnose the cause of scour in many cases and offer advice on specific treatment above and beyond these general guidelines. One specific example of this is Salmonella. Made famous by Edwina Currie, thankfully it is not as common as she or the media made out at the time. It is however zoonotic and can cause severe disease in both humans and animals. It is also one of the pathogens where I insist on culture and sensitivity as it can be resistant to some of the early antibiotics and we need to avoid those antibiotics reserved for human use.

It is also important to remember that scouring can be an individual cow disease or a symptom of an issue affecting the whole group or herd. If you have any concerns about scour in an individual cow, or across a group, please feel free to ring our St Columb practice on 01637 889231. For further information on Westpoint Veterinary Group please visit www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk.

Phil Elkins BVM&S MRCVS