Give calves space to spread out as much and as soon as is feasible. Small grazing areas fenced next to working pens are excellent for this purpose. Establish sick pens to receive incoming, obviously sick calves, or calves that begin to show evidence of sickness after arrival. The sick pen should provide some separation from healthy calves, and do not let them share water or feed troughs. Gently handle sick calves; walk them slowly to the sick pen. Do not run sick calves.
When you see a calf with drooped ears, one that does not stretch when it gets up, breathes hard, has a wetsounding cough, or exhibits an obvious lack of rumen fill (“slab-sided,” hollow in the left side), then this calf should be worked to the chute as quietly as possible for examination that should include determining and recording its body temperature. Start the calf immediately on antibiotics as prescribed by your veterinarian. Use injection sites, routes of administration, and volume of product that adhere to Beef Quality Assurance (MS-BQA) guidelines for the respective product used. Maintenance of processing and treatment records is an important part of the MS-BQA program. Widespread adoption of MS-BQA guidelines by beef producers should enhance consumer confidence in beef and in food products made with beef.
Close observation that facilitates early treatment is the secret to reducing death losses and /or keeping calves from becoming chronically ill (“chronics”). Do not use corticosteroids on sick calves because such products tend to produce chronic cases that usually remain stunted or are poor doers.
Source: A. Wayne Groce, DVM, Ph.D.; and Fred D. Lehman, DVM, MABM, DACT, and Leader, Extension Veterinary Medicine, MississippiStateUniversity