Changes in the blood biochemical and haematological profile of neonatal calves with age

Abstract

Fourteen calves were used to investigate the changes from birth to 83 days of age in the concentrations of serum albumin, alkaline phosphatase, beta-hydroxybutyrate, plasma cortisol, serum creatine kinase, creatinine, iron, plasma fibrinogen, serum gamma-glutamyl transferase, plasma glucose, haptoglobin, serum non-esterified fatty acids, total protein, transferrin, triglycerides, urea and gamma globulin; the haematological variables measured were: basophils, eosinophils, haematocrit, haemoglobin, lymphocytes, mean cell haemoglobin, mean cell haemoglobin concentration, mean cell volume, monocytes, band neutrophils, neutrophils, platelets, red blood cells and white blood cells. The changes are presented as a series of graphs and the values are discussed in relation to the published reference ranges for adult cattle. Two populations of calves were identified which gave rise to a bimodal distribution for some of the variables. Differences in haematocrit, haemoglobin and red blood cell counts were apparent at birth, with raised values for these measurements being associated with an increased white blood cell and neutrophil count between three and 27 days of age.

Performance, rumen development, and carcass traits of male calves fed starter concentrate with crude glycerin

“…Creatinine levels are not deeply affected by diet (Klinkon and Ježek, 2012) and are normally used as auxiliary reference to diagnose variations in blood urea. The plasma urea levels were not altered by including crude glycerin and remained within the levels observed in other studies with calves at equivalent age (Knowles et al, 2000;Benesi et al, 2003;Klinkon and Ježek, 2012), emphasizing that the kidney functions of the calves were normal.…”

“…The changes in the serum concentrations of total protein and globulin performed similarly as the animal age increased and were compatible with those observed by Mohri et al (2007) for calves up to eight weeks of age. The variations in albumin concentrations with age were only observed in the animals with 240 g kg −1 crude glycerin, but remained within the reference interval for calves (2.7 to 3.9 g dL −1 ) (Knowles et al, 2000).…”

Evaluation of Some Physical, Haemathological and Clinical Chemistry Parameters in Healthy Newborn Italian Holstein Calves

“…RBC values, registered in the present study, were in line with those reported by others, both at T0 (Knowles et al, 2000;Brun-Hansens et al, 2006;House and Vaala, 2009) and T24 (Mohri et al, 2007;House and Vaala, 2009), but higher if compared with Probo et al (2011). Recorded Hgb values were similar to previous reports, both at T0 and T24 (House and Vaala, 2009;Probo et al, 2011), although they were slightly higher at T24 if compared to those reported by Mohri et al (2007).…”

“…In our study, RBC and Hgb values, both at T0 and T24, were higher than those reported in adult animals (Radostits et al, 1994;Wood and QuirozRocha, 2010), except for a recent study, in which values were similar to ours (Morris, 2009). PCV values observed in this study were in line with those showed in calves by others, both at T0 and T24 (Knowles et al, 2000;Mohri et al, 2007;House and Vaala, 2009;Probo et al, 2011). Our PCV results at birth were slightly higher than those reported for adult animals (Radostits et al, 1994;Wood and Quiroz-Rocha, 2010); instead, our data at 24 h of life were similar to adult ranges (Radostits et al, 1994;Smith, 2009;Wood and Quiroz-Rocha, 2010).…”

“…Moreover, to better understand these data, a veterinarian needs reference values specific for each animal species and for age. Reference intervals commonly used for cattle are based on samples obtained from adult animals and they can be misleading if applied to young animals (Knowles et al, 2000;Brun-Hansen et al, 2006). The aim of the present study was to investigate some physical and clinical chemistry parameters in the newborn Italian Holstein calf at birth and at 24 h of life to evaluate changes during this period.…”