Comparative efficacy of herbal anti-diarrheal products for treatment of diarrhea in calves

Objective : The present study was undertaken to compare the efficacy of herbal drugs, Diaroak ® and Salcochek ® (M/s Ayurvet Limited), against antibiotic drugs in the treatment of calf diarrhea. Methods : 15 calves suffering from diarrhea were divided into 3 groups: T 0 ,receiving ciprofloxacin (250 mg) and tinidazole (300 mg) twice daily for three days, T 1 , receiving 15 gm Diaroak twice daily till recovery, and T 3 , receiving 15 gm Salcochektwice daily till recovery. The parameters evaluated included average number of doses required for complete recovery, total number of animals completely recovered per group, number of animals in morbid state per group, mortality recorded per group, frequency of defecation per group, presence or absence of mucus in feces along with appetite of animals, and incidence of diarrhea and mortality during post-treatment period. Results : Complete recovery was seen in all the treated animals with no recurrence. After recovery, animals treated with herbals had better consistency of feces than those treated with antibiotics. Conclusions : Herbal anti-diarrheals Diaroak and Salcocheck can be used for treating non-specific diarrhea in calves.