An observational study using blood gas analysis to assess neonatal calf diarrhea and subsequent recovery with a European Commission-compliant oral electrolyte solution

Abstract

An observational study was conducted on dairy calves (51 healthy, 31 with neonatal diarrhea) during outbreaks of diarrhea on 4 dairy farms. Clinical assessment scores (CAS) were assigned to each healthy and diarrheic calf [from 0 (healthy) to 4 (marked illness)]. Blood gas analysis [pH, base excess (BE), Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+), Cl(-), glucose, total hemoglobin, standard HCO3(-), strong ion difference (SID), and anion gap (AG)] was completed for each calf. Repeated measurements were taken in healthy animals, and pre- and postintervention measurements were taken for diarrheic calves. The mean CAS of diarrheic calves was 1.7, with 51, 30, 17, and 2% of calves scoring 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The mean value for blood pH, BE, AG, and SID was 7.26, -4.93mM, 16.3mM, and 38.59mM, respectively. Calves were administered an oral rehydration and buffering solution (ORBS; Vitalife for Calves, Epsilion Ltd., Cork, Ireland) and reassessed. The mean CAS decreased to 0.38 (65% of calves scored 0 and 35% scored 1) at 6 to 18h posttreatment and to 0.03 (98% of calves scored 0 and 2% scored 1) within 24 to 48h. Significant increases in mean value for pH, BE, HCO3(-), Na(+), and SID, and significant decreases in AG, K(+), Ca(2+), and total hemoglobin were recorded posttreatment. The correlation estimates indicated that pH, HCO3(-), and BE were strongly correlated with CAS, with values exceeding 0.60 in all cases. Administration of an ORBS with a high SID and bicarbonate buffer demonstrated rapid recovery from a diarrheic episode in dairy calves.

Establishing blood gas ranges in healthy bovine neonates differentiated by age, sex, and breed type

“…Adopting current blood gas reference ranges for healthy adult cattle (Divers and Peek, 2007;Stämpfli et al, 2012; to assess any blood gas derangements in neonates may be unwise, as differences exist between the ranges presented here and for adult bovines (Divers and Peek, 2007;Stämpfli et al, 2012;). This agrees with previous studies, which outlined similar findings regarding standard ranges for neonates (Rice, 1994;Gustin et al, 1997;Lorenz et al, 2005;Sayers et al, 2016).…”

“…These variations can influence the physiology of the calf, thus affecting their normal biochemical and hematological values. Furthermore, it has been shown that newborn calves, in a high-infection pressure environment, can have significantly lower mean blood gas values compared with calves in disease-free environments (Sayers et al, 2016). Whereas we made selection efforts to reduce the effect of this variable, it may be impossible to eliminate it under normal husbandry conditions and could account for year and farm effects.…”

“…A combined reference range is presented to assess normal parameters in neonatal calves where characteristics of the calf, such as age or breed type, may be unknown or ambiguous. A previous study (Sayers et al, 2016), investigating a predicted pH point at which a calf would be determined as clinically ill, suggested that a lower pH limit closer to 7.36 to be appropriate. This proposed value is in line with the value calculated from our study and with previously published normal values for a neonate calf (Stämpfli et al, 2012).…”

“…Several studies have indicated significant differences between the physiology of young and adult cattle, particularly for serum pH, bicarbonate (HCO 3 − ), base excess (BE), anion gap (AG), and strong ion difference (SID; Adams and Polzin, 1989;Gustin et al, 1997;Lorenz et al, 2005;Koch and Kaske, 2008). Furthermore, genetic (breed type), age, and environmental factors influence hematological and biochemical values in healthy animals (Sayers et al, 2016).…”

Drinking water intake of newborn dairy calves and its effects on feed intake, growth performance, health status, and nutrient digestibility

“…Kertz et al (1984) also reported an insignificant ef-fect of offering drinking water to newborn dairy calves on diarrhea. Disturbed electrolyte homeostasis in the blood, dehydration (as indicated by high blood Hct), and reduced blood pH (indicative of metabolic acidosis) are the most significant consequences of diarrhea in calves (Sayers et al, 2016). Blood HPT concentration has been identified as a useful tool in evaluating health status of dairy calves (Ganheim et al, 2007;Balikci and Al, 2014).…”