continued on page 2 Manuel Chamorro, DVM Clinical Instructor College of Veterinary Medicine The bovine fetus has a type of placentation that does not permit contact between maternal and fetal blood and therefore does not permit passive transfer of immunoglobulins (Ig) from the mother to her fetus. The bovine calf is born agammaglobulinemic and depends on the intake of an adequate amount of mate...

We have previously reported that Morinda citrifolia (noni) puree modulates neonatal calves developmental maturation of the innate and adaptive immune system. In this study, the effect of noni puree on respiratory and gastrointestinal (GI), health in preweaned dairy calves on a farm with endemic salmonellosis was examined. Two clinical trials were conducted whereby each trial evaluated one proce...

The present study was conducted to determine the optimum age of Holstein dairy calves for an effective inclusion of alfalfa hay (AH) in starter feed on performance, apparent digestibility and feeding behavior. A total of 40 Holstein dairy calves (20 female and 20 male) were used in a completely randomized design in which calves were randomly assigned to one of four different dietary treatments ...

development, traditional dairy calf management programs have restricted the amount of liquid feed pre-weaning to about 10% of birth weight.[1] However, current research is focusing more on the effects of elevating the plane of nutrition for pre-weaned dairy calves. By increasing the volume of liquid fed pre-weaning to about 20% of birth body weight, the results have been higher average daily ga...

Failure of passive transfer of immunity (FPT) in dairy replacement calves has been linked to increased neonatal morbidity and mortality and long-term decreases in productivity. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of FPT in US dairy heifer calves in 2007 and to use nationally representative data to investigate associations of FPT with colostrum and calf management practices....

 Take Home Messages  The most dramatic physiological changes occur during birth and death.  Calves born without assistance experience hypoxia (low arterial blood oxygen), acidosis, and frequently hypothermia. Dystocia calves experience the same changes but to a greater degree.  Dystocia has an immediate and prolonged effect on the health and productivity of calves.  Perinatal mortality due...

Calving records from 1969 to 1989 from the Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center were used to investigate how climatic conditions, in addition to dystocia, age of dam, size of calf, and sex affect calf survival from birth to 1 wk of age. Data were analyzed separately for cows calving with (n = 11,094) or without (n = 72,187) dystocia. Neonatal mortality was described by a logit model...