Rischi Robinson, a Walsh Scholar in the Teagasc Animal and Bioscience Programme, provided attendees with an overview of this research as part of the BEEF2024 Open Day on June 26.
He explained: “Summer scour syndrome is a relatively new phenomenon identified in Irish dairy and dairy-beef calves. Clinical signs include diarrhoea, ill-thrift, weight loss and mouth ulcers and it can lead to death.”
As part of the research, a team from Teagasc and UCD School of Veterinary Medicine visited five farms in June 2023 with suspected cases of summer scour syndrome and completed a clinical investigation.
Two farms were designated as non-summer scour syndrome case farms after confirmation of coccidiosis or chronic pneumonia. A diagnosis of summer scour syndrome can only be given after other causes of diarrhoea and ill-thrift in weaned calves at grass have been ruled out.
Robinson said he “tried to investigate and also evaluate the management practices that farmers had implemented on their farms."
Cases
“Of the three remaining farms with summer scour syndrome, coccidia and worm burdens were low, rumen pH and blood copper and molybdenum levels were normal and all three were negative for Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) virus.”
“We are still in the early stages of this research, but rumen acidosis and copper/molybdenum toxicities do not appear to be the potential causes of this syndrome.
“The research provided further evidence that calves with this syndrome present with symptoms of diarrhoea and loss of condition after recent turnout to grass for first time grazing.
“However, average blood ammonia levels were elevated in calves suffering with summer scour syndrome on the three case farms, and this warrants further investigation” Rischi explained.
Advice
Where summer scour syndrome is of concern, Rischi recommends:
Appropriate weaning methods.Avoiding abrupt weaning and allow a one-to-two-week period indoors after weaning before turning calves out to grass.Avoiding turning recently weaned calves onto very lush grass.Reducing weaned calves access to lush grass which may involve strict strip grazing or the provision of hay or straw outdoors.
Rischi Robinson, a Walsh Scholar in the Teagasc Animal and Bioscience Programme, provided attendees with an overview of this research as part of the BEEF2024 Open Day on June 26.
He explained: “Summer scour syndrome is a relatively new phenomenon identified in Irish dairy and dairy-beef calves. Clinical signs include diarrhoea, ill-thrift, weight loss and mouth ulcers and it can lead to death.”
As part of the research, a team from Teagasc and UCD School of Veterinary Medicine visited five farms in June 2023 with suspected cases of summer scour syndrome and completed a clinical investigation.
Two farms were designated as non-summer scour syndrome case farms after confirmation of coccidiosis or chronic pneumonia. A diagnosis of summer scour syndrome can only be given after other causes of diarrhoea and ill-thrift in weaned calves at grass have been ruled out.
Robinson said he “tried to investigate and also evaluate the management practices that farmers had implemented on their farms."
Cases
“Of the three remaining farms with summer scour syndrome, coccidia and worm burdens were low, rumen pH and blood copper and molybdenum levels were normal and all three were negative for Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) virus.”
“We are still in the early stages of this research, but rumen acidosis and copper/molybdenum toxicities do not appear to be the potential causes of this syndrome.
“The research provided further evidence that calves with this syndrome present with symptoms of diarrhoea and loss of condition after recent turnout to grass for first time grazing.
“However, average blood ammonia levels were elevated in calves suffering with summer scour syndrome on the three case farms, and this warrants further investigation” Rischi explained.
Advice
Where summer scour syndrome is of concern, Rischi recommends:
Appropriate weaning methods.Avoiding abrupt weaning and allow a one-to-two-week period indoors after weaning before turning calves out to grass.Avoiding turning recently weaned calves onto very lush grass.Reducing weaned calves access to lush grass which may involve strict strip grazing or the provision of hay or straw outdoors. 
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