could use some help...grey green diarrhea

[Trisha in WA]

I have a 3 month old half Jersey half Lowline Angus steer calf that has gray green diarrhea today. He is still on his mom and is eating alfalfa and is on a fresh lush pasture each day. He didn't seem interested int he alfalfa tonight and he doesn't seem to be taking as much milk as he normally does. It's hard to tell exactly how much milk he is getting, but mom has been giving a bit more than normal for the last 4 milkings...though he does seem to go through ups and downs in his intake, and last week he was drinking a LOT!
Any thoughts on what might be going on? He is not very tame, so hard enough to catch that I have not taken his temp. If I need to treat him, I will have to come up with some kind of home made squeeze, but I certainly can do that.
Thanks in advance.
Trisha

[Rena]

Hey Trisha,
Sounds to me like he might have gotten a bit much of 'a good thing' with the grazing and all. I'd try giving some probiotics (if he will eat any amount of grain I'd try putting some yogurt culture *powder* on it) along with some molasses and apple cider vinegar. If he won't take that, then you might just want to put together that 'chute' and force it down him. Also try offering just a grass hay and see what he does with it. It really sounds more like an upset rumen than anything else, but I'm only a novice with calves myself. 

How has it gone so far for you? I noticed it's been a few days.

Rena

[Trisha in WA]

He seems to be taking more milk. His stools were better yesterday and this morning, but we decided to give him some Sustain III this morning anyway...now he has the squirts again. He was looking better this afternoon though...grazing and jumping around. So, I am hopeful that he is on the mend. It is more the color of his manure that makes me wonder what it is. If it were just too much grass, I would think it would still be green, not pale gray.
Trisha

[Trisha in WA]

Update...
He is doing much better this morning. He is bright and energetic. He ran out to eat his hay this morning. We saw him chewing his cud yesterday finally too which we hadn't seen in a few days. So, I would say he is on the mend. Haven't seen a manure yet today, but I am hopeful that it will be more normal.
Normally I don't like using antibiotics, but I also know that diarrhea is a calf killer. It is so much easier to treat bottle calves at the first sign with natural stuff to nip it in the bud, but momma raised calves are much tougher to deal with (so I am learning). I still think whenever feasible, a momma raised calf is going to be better off though.
Trisha

[Rena]

Since you said it was more 'pale grey' that reminds me of little Cherry (our Jersey heifer born to Daisy last summer), she got a bit too much milk and it really upset her rumen! Very squirty and lethargic until she got past it. I just gave probiotics, cut back on the milk(she was bottle fed) a bit and increased water consumption. Only after the probiotics did she pull all the way out of it.

Glad to hear your little guy is on the mend!!

[Trisha in WA]

He is back to his normal sassy self now...cute as can be. He is drinking all the milk again too LOL Oh well. I have so much in the fridge from the few days he was off, it will take me a while to use it and need more.
Trisha