Fluid therapy in calves

Diarrhea is the leading cause of calf mortality prior to weaning in both beef and dairy calves. Therefore, both veterinarians and producers should put some effort into designing rational and efficacious protocols both for the prevention and treatment of diarrhea. The primary goals of treating calf diarrhea are to 1) correct free water and electrolyte abnormalities; 2) correct acid-base deficits (acidemia); 3) provide nutritional support; and 4) eliminate and/or prevent E. coli bacteremia. This pre­sentation will focus on both oral electrolyte and intravenous fluid therapy in calves with diarrhea. Practical approaches to correcting dehydration and metabolic acidosis on-farm will be emphasized.