Symptoms of Summer Scour Syndrome

• Calves stop thriving, have a poor appetite and lose weight
• Calves have unresponsive scour
• Calves may have mouth ulcers

It is important to rule out other factors such as coccidiosis, as this can also lead to the symptoms above.

Causes of Summer Scour Syndrome

As new-born calves are born with undeveloped rumens, they struggle to digest the lush summer grass high in nitrogen, and low in fibre.

Problems from Summer Scour Syndrome

• The primary harm from summer scours is the loss of water and electrolytes (body salts) in diarrhoea. This loss of water and salts creates dehydration and alteration of the acid-base balance of the bodily fluids. Inflammation of the intestinal lining impairs the calf’s ability to digest nutrients, creating weight loss and the potential for hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). If untreated, these changes can be severe enough to result in death.
• In addition, certain bacteria (certain strains of Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens) can release toxins that cause harm to multiple vital organs in the calf.
• Calves affected with summer scour are twice as likely to develop pneumonia.
• Growth rates are also affected.