Prevention of scours in neonatal kids after oral administration of an organic acid solution

The purpose of this study was to evaluate under field conditions, the efficacy of mild organic acid solutions in the prevention of neonatal kid diarrhoea. At a goat farm, two experimental groups of approximately 120 kids each were formed. The kids of the first group were not submitted to any treatment and served as negative controls, whereas the kids of the second group received a solution of organic acids (Euroacid 50-L; Eurotec, Waterloo, Belgium) which was administered orally on the first and second day of life. Groups were compared with regard to the incidence of diarrhoea, its duration, and the mortality of the kids. The results showed that, in comparison with the control group, the morbidity, the mortality and the case fatality of the treated kids was significantly reduced (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the duration of diarrhoea per sick kid was markedly reduced in the acidifier-treated group in comparison with the control animals (P < 0.05). Cultures of the diarrhoeic faeces from kids indicated that enterotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli, and more specifically strains that were positive for K88 and K99 antigens, were present in the particular farm. It was concluded that the administration of organic acids can be a helpful means in controlling scours in neonatal kids.