Calf Talk

August, 2004

Volume 10, No.8

CRYPTO IS A PERPLEXING CALF PROBLEM

By: Russ Schnepper, D.V.M.

I have been studying and treating Cryptosporidiosis for more than 25 years. I could fill a book with info on Crypto, in fact I am writing a book on baby calves and Crypto takes up a big chapter.

I feel the cow is the carrier and the calf picks up the organism from the manure on the cow’s teats, or from the calving area as well as from the calf housing. The calf swallows the Crypto organism and it burrows into the wall of the gut just below the cell membrane, but outside the cytoplasm of the intestinal cells. It remains their incubating for approximately 48 hours and then emerges into the lumen of the gut. About half of the oocycsts pass out with the feces and contaminate the environment, and the other half turn around and dive back into the lining of the gut and start incubating again. Just one Crypto organism on day one, which cycles every 48 hours, becomes one million by day eight.

I treat Crypto with 50 mg of decoquinate activity per calf per feeding for the first 10 to 14 days of the calf’s life. Decoquinate is a contact killer and must touch the Crypto organism to kill it. So while it is buried in the wall of the gut, the decoquinate will not kill it. The decoquinate must be in the lumen of the gut at the time the Crypto pops out of the wall of the gut, to kill it. That is why it is extremely important to feed at least twice a day. The treatment is not 100% as there are times the Crypto can emerge from the wall of the gut and there is no decoquinate in the lumen. Decoquinate is only soluble in chloroform and not in milk or water. So it is important to place the correct dose in each individual bottle, bucket or calf’s mouth. It cannot be bulk mixed except in tanks that have recirculating pumps, as veal raisers do, that keep it well mixed.

There are three strengths of decoquinate sold. Deccox-M is 0.8%, Deccox-L is 0.5%, our Crypto SD is 0.5% and then there is 6% Deccox. The dosage for the 6% is ½ -level teaspoonful. We use a heaping tablespoonful for the 0.5% and 0.8% products. I really dislike the Deccox-M and Deccox-L. The base is soluble lactose and the calf feeder assumes everything went into solution, when it really did not. You just don’t see the 50mg (a toothpick full) of decoquinate lying in the bottom of the bucket. Due to its assumed solubility, calf raisers bulk mix, resulting in the last calf fed, getting all the medicine. Decoquinate is extremely safe and non-toxic. It is not absorbed from the gut.

There are many other medications used for Crypto. Corid is totally ineffective against Crypto and a little over dose ties up thiamine and the calves develop polio, “star gazers.” Bovatec, including Calf Pro, is used and is effective, however the dosage required is the LD-50 dose, which means half the calves are dead. I have been involved in many dairies that were killing their calves with Calf Pro. In defense of the product, I have two clients that use Calf Pro routinely. Thru the death of many calves, they tell me, they have learned how to use it. But once a year or so a substitute feeder kills some of their calves. Intervet has a clearance on a drug “Halocur” in the European Union. The data they have shows a 40% reduction in the shedding of oocycsts and the severity of the diarrhea was reduced. The cost is at least $6 per calf, whereas the same result can be obtained with decoquinate for $1.00 per calf.

Contact information for ordering information and questions about our products:

Schnepper International, Inc.

3210 County B, Platteville, WI 53818

608-348-6141, Fax: 608-348-6146