Sheila McGuirk, University of Wisconsin emeritus professor of veterinary medicine discussed clostridial disease during a recent Dairy Girl Network winter calf webinar. She explained that clostridial disease in calves almost always is caused by an overgrowth of Clostridium perfringens. She said calves sometimes die even before they develop diarrhea. If diarrhea does break, it may contain blood or tissue streaks.
Source: Dairy Herd Management, December 8, 2016.
The first step in getting clostridial disease under control is confirming that it is the culprit organism,” said McGuirk. “It can display the same symptoms as scours caused by salmonella, coccidia and some forms of E. coli.” She advised working with the herd veterinarian to perform diagnostic tests to verify that the diagnosis is correct.