Navel healing in male and female Holstein calves over the first 14 days of life: A longitudinal cohort study

Abstract

The objectives of this study were (1) to describe navel healing in male and female neonatal Holstein calves over a 14-d observation period, and (2) to determine the associations of dam parity, calving factors, and calf factors with navel measurements and time to healing. A total of 68 Holstein calves (43 female and 25 male) were enrolled. Navel healing outcomes (cessation of navel discharge, navel cord remnant drying, navel cord remnant drop-off) and navel stump measurement outcomes (proximal diameter, distal diameter, length) were recorded every 24 ± 1 h for a 14-d observation period. Data were also collected for dam parity, calving factors (time of birth, calving ease), and calf factors (calf sex, calf vitality at birth, birth weight, average daily gain, serum total protein, and medical treatment or treatments). The mean time to navel cord remnant drying was 2 d, and all calves had dry navels by d 5. A total of 56% of calves retained their navel cord remnant beyond the end of the observation period, and calves began to shed their navel cord remnants as early as d 2. In addition, at least once during the observation period, 85% of calves had a proximal navel diameter measurement over a 13-mm threshold recently proposed to identify navel infections. For distal navel diameter measurements, 72% of calves had a diameter over the 13-mm threshold at least once during the observation period. No associations were identified between navel healing outcomes and dam, calving, and calf factors. Navel measurement outcomes were associated with calving and calf factors. Specifically, proximal navel stump diameter was associated with the day of observation (decreased from d 5 to 14), calf sex (smaller in female calves), time of birth (larger in calves born overnight or unobserved, compared with the morning), and birth weight (larger in birth weights >44.1 kg compared with <38.5 kg). Distal navel stump diameter was associated with calf sex, medical treatment, and day of observa-tion; however, we observed an interaction between sex and day of observation (larger in male calves on d 3 to 7, d 9, and d 12, compared with female calves), and sex and medical treatment (larger in untreated male calves, no difference between treated male and female calves). Navel stump length was associated with time of birth (longer in calves born overnight or unobserved compared with any other time) and the interaction of birth weight and day of observation (longer in birth weights >44.1 kg compared with 38.6-41.5 kg on d 3, 8-10, and 13, and 41.6-44.0 kg on d 3, 5, 7-8, and 13). The wide range in time to navel cord remnant drying and dropoff suggest that these measures may not be adequate indicators of calf age on their own. More research on navel healing is required to improve our understanding of factors that influence navel measurements and time to healing, as well as how this information could be used in an objective assessment of navel health.

Influence of birth weight, sex and disinfection on the involution of umbilical structures in calves

“…Additionally, in previous studies, only a few structures of the umbilicus were measured, whereas this study evaluated a multitude of parameters. However, Konigslow et al 13 . examined the umbilical structures more frequently than the authors of this study did (14 times compared with five).…”

“…Previous studies, with the exception of Watson et al 19 . and Konigslow et al., 13 do not provide any information on the effect of birth weight and sex on the size of umbilical structures 6,8,14,15 . This was attributed to the fact that almost exclusively heifer calves were examined.…”

“…The large number of parameters measured in our study provided comparative values for estimating the umbilical involution of Holstein-Friesian calves in practice. Compared to the data in the current literature, 8,13,14,23,24 the influence of different examination times as well as the influence of different breeds, in particular, the breed-specific birth weight in relation to the size of the umbilical structures, should be taken into account.…”

“…14 According to Grover and Godden, 5 the mean diameter of the umbilical stalk in the second week (mostly measured on day 11) is 9.8 ± 3.0 mm. The time it takes for the umbilical cord to dry varies between 4 and 7 days p.n., 13,[15][16][17][18] and detachment of the umbilical cord is recorded after approximately 14 days. 10,17 However, the length and the girth of the umbilical stump and the involution process have not yet been described.…”

“…However, Watson et al 19 took the calf's sex into consideration, finding no significant differences between male and female calves in the size of the ultrasonographically visible umbilical stalk, umbilical vein and umbilical arteries. Meanwhile, Konigslow et al 13 considered the influence of weight and sex on external umbilical structures.…”