The foul odor suggests coccidiosis. Sometimes, after severe coccidia or other gut infections, the lining of the intestines is so injured that, even though the original infection is cured, the calf is unable to utilize the nutrients being fed. Because these nutrients are passing through the gut, they carry water with them resulting in what is called malabsorptive diarrhea. Calves with malabsorptive diarrhea do not perform well and may never realize their growth potential. Ask your veterinarian to re-examine the calf — or at least take a fecal sample to your veterinarian for a parasite examination and fecal culture. Your veterinarian can determine if worms or coccidia from a fecal flotation are present. Worms have developed resistance to some dewormers, and it may be necessary to use a different product. Some bacterial infections, such as salmonella, may also cause chronic diarrhea. Fecal culture can help determine if this is the problem. Wait for the gut to regain its normal function. At this point, you should try to provide the calf a diet that is at least half forage (good-quality grass hay) and half concentrate. Avoid using antibiotics (suggest removing the Aurromycin from the diet and follow label directions) or other medications that might prevent the growth of the microorganism necessary for digestion. You could test the calves and make sure that they are not carriers. It is highly unlikely, especially if cows are vaccinated prior to the start of the breeding season. Identify persistent infection (PI) animals by testing ear notch samples from all calves taken at branding or weaning time. In addition to all calves, purchased animals and retained open cows should be included. In the event that a PI calf is detected by testing, it will be important to test the dam of the PI calf as well. Details regarding eligible animals for testing should be discussed with your herd veterinarian. The ear notch is collected from the bottom thin part of the ear using a small punch (1 cm square) and is placed in a tube labeled for each animal. Collecting the sample is fast and simple and does not require special handling other than keeping the samples cool until submitting them within 24 to 48 hours for laboratory evaluation.

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