Clostridial diseases can be lethal for dairy cattle. Stress, injuries and changes in feeding practices increase chances of death. Vaccination and sound management practices can prevent most common clostridial diseases for cows and calves.
Source: DAIRYBUSINESS, March 13, 2020. Link. A solid strategy in preventing a clostridial outbreak in calves, prior to their vaccination, is to be consistent with milk-feeding practices, and to ensure they have a good absorption of maternal antibodies against clostridia from colostrum. Additionally, it is important to have hygienic feeding conditions for minimal contamination to feeding equipment from soil, which harbors clostridial spores.