17 Nov 2020
Ceva Animal Health launches campaign to encourage farmers to use oral rehydration therapy during scouring to provide electrolytes and correct acidosis.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Vets are being urged to highlight benefits to farmers of administering oral rehydration therapy (ORT) to scouring calves.
Ceva Animal Health has launched a campaign called “Making Milk Matter Against Scour” to encourage more farmers to use ORT during scouring to provide sufficient essential electrolytes to correct acidosis while still continuing with milk feeding.
Around 170,000 calves can die in their first month of life, with an estimated 50% of the deaths caused by scour. Defra estimates scouring can cost the cattle industry an estimated £60 million, while around 48% of dairy heifer calves are diagnosed with scour preweaning.
With dehydration the most common cause of mortality in scouring animals, and the impact it can have on growth rate and the ensuring costs of that, Ceva – manufacturer of ORT gel Rehydion – has now launched its campaign.
It is backed by a hard-hitting advertising campaign and surveys to capture vets’ and farmers’ experiences of scour and ORT.
Ceva product manager Stephenie Clarke said: “The Making Milk Matter Against Scour campaign will help highlight the financial and welfare benefits of using ORT at the first signs of scour, and the importance of administering it alongside milk, which is the best source of energy and will help calves maintain weight gain.
“The scour survey will provide us with an insight into the use of ORT in practice and on farm to help us drive improvements across the industry.”
For full details on Making Milk Matter Against Scour, visit the website. The vet survey is also online.
