Newborn calves need extra support to fight scours. With Start Strong® for Calves and Rapid Strike™, you can prevent scours early and help calves recover fast if it does strike!
Why Start Strong?
Newborn calves need colostrum fast—within 2–4 hours—to stay healthy and build immunity. That’s where Start Strong comes in. This natural oral drench gives calves the energy and appetite boost they need to get up and nurse quickly.
What it Does:
How to Use:
With easy-to-use packaging and no need for refrigeration, Start Strong is ready to use at every birth.
Why Rapid Strike?
Even with the best calf care, scours can happen—but Rapid Strike is ready to help. This natural oral drench is packed with essential oils, electrolytes and prebiotics to help calves bounce back quickly.
What it Does:
How to Use:
It’s quick, easy and doesn’t require a prescription from a vet, because you don’t have time to mess around when a calf needs help.
Both Start Strong and Rapid Strike contain Ralco’s advanced, patented technology, and other natural ingredients designed to improve calf health.
Microfused® Essential Oils
Over 20 years ago, Ralco pioneered the mainstream use of essential oils in the livestock industry. Science has shown that essential oils have natural antimicrobial properties. Our research and patented Microfusion® process ensures that Ralco essential oils are highly effective and stable in the gut, helping during times of stress and improving animal health.
Actifibe® Prebiotic
Unlike traditional antibiotics that kill good and bad bacteria in the gut, Actifibe Prebiotic selectively nourishes and protects beneficial bacteria across the entire length of the gut. This unique approach helps support a robust immune system and recovery from digestive stress by promoting the growth of beneficial microbes while preserving the gut’s microbial balance.
"We calve in some seriously cold weather, and Start Strong gets our chilled calves up and nursing fast. Rapid Strike is just as great—it rehydrates and restores sick calves like nothing else. We won’t go through another season without them."
– Bill, Montana
"We bottle-raise feedlot calves. I used Start Strong on one of them and the calf was up and sucking in an hour! Never had one that responsive. I’ll continue to use it and recommend it to others. Well done guys!"
– Nadean, Iowa
View the frequently asked questions to learn more about how to use Start Strong and Rapid Strike.
This product does not replace colostrum, but helps animals consume it quickly. It has immune-stimulating properties, but not passive antibody transfer.
Dosing Start Strong 30 minutes to 1 hour before a calf that’s going to nurse or consume colostrum from a bottle is recommended to help build vigor and encourage better voluntary consumption. If it’s a calf that will be tubed and manually provided colostrum, wait closer to the time you expect the calf to voluntarily consume milk or milk replacer.
Start Strong and Rapid Strike is an oral drench. Simply turn the bottle upside down and provide two pumps directly into the back of the mouth.
The same applicator can be used on multiple animals. Just wipe the Start Strong and Rapid Strike bottle clean and reuse it on healthy animals. If it’s used on a sick animal, wipe it down with a disinfectant before using it again.
A 250 ml bottle contains 25 treatments.
Start Strong is effective during all stages of an animal’s life and in stressful situations. It’s best given at birth but can be used anytime an animal is experiencing stress or illness.
Any animal showing a lack of vigor should be given Start Strong immediately. However, it’s recommended to provide a preventative dose to every calf at any time in the first hours or even days of birth.
Start Strong and Rapid Strike does not require refrigeration, but we recommend it be stored at room temperature out of direct sunlight and not allowed to freeze.
If stored properly Start Strong and Rapid Strike should be good for at least 1 year.
Typically, yes, the only consideration would be if you’re administering a live agent orally. With those applications, we recommend that you use Start Strong first and then follow with the second product after 1 hour.
Yes, just use ¼ to ½ the recommended dose listed on the label.
No, these are natural products that do not require a prescription.
Typically, one dose is sufficient, but in tough situations it can be given multiple times 12-24 hours apart.
Rapid Strike is a supportive solution designed to help minimize the impact of scours, especially when used early. While effective, it is not a replacement for antibiotics. In severe cases, additional treatments like electrolyte drenches or IV fluids may be needed. Always consult your veterinarian for serious health concerns.
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Ralco is a family-owned agricultural health and nutrition company with distribution in over 40 countries. Using nature for inspiration and science for application, Ralco creates effective natural solutions that deliver efficient plant and animal performance through excellent health.