Prevention and treatment of neonatal ruminant disease: The periparturient period

What common maladaptation may occur in neonates?

• Cleft palate

• PDA

• Persistent foramen ovale

• Dystocia can cause swollen tongue (arterial blood can persist but venous system does not drain)

What are the common perinatal phsyioloigcal problems?

• Hypoglycaemia - if can't feed

• Hypothermia

• Inactivity/ lethargy

• Hypoxaemia

• Acidosis

All interlink

List some examples of congenital issues in calves

• CV- PDA, VSD

• Urogenital- patent urachus cryptorchidism

• MSK - contracted tendons, dwarfism, polydactyly

• Neuro- cataract, internal hydrocephalus

What is the most common cause of perinatal maladaptation?

Dystocia (most commonly caused by feto-maternal disproportion and maldisposition)

What are the end results of maladaptations?

• Acidosis and hypoxaeemia

• Failure to nurse and reduced antibody absorption leading to failure of passive transfer

How long should it take a calf to go into sternal recumbency?

<5 minutes

>9 minutes= inc risk of death

What techqniues can you use for calf resus?

• Cold water down ear

• Rub with straw

• Acupuncture point on philtrum

• Doxapram hydorchloride

  • Sympathomimetic, make sure it can breathe before giving

What affects colostrum quantity and quality?

• When colostrum is collected (Dec Ig with time)

• Breed of cow

• Pre partum nutrition

  • Thin beef suckler cows

  • Sheep

• Length of dry period <30 days

• Pre milking

• Abortion/induction

• Mastitis

• Temperature

What are the '4 Qs' you need to aim for with colostrum intake?

Quantity, Quality, Quickly and sQueaky clean

Why might calves receive inadequate immunoglobulin transfer?

• High genetic merit may have poor colostrum

• Conformation- ex-big teats

• Supervision

• Dystocias - weal acidotic don't suck enough

How can you test colostrum quality?

• Brix refractoemeter (>22% is good enough)

  

• Colostrometer/ Hydrometer

  

What is the target for colostrum intake?

Target= >150 g IgG

• First feed (10% of body weight) within 2 hours of birth

• Second 5-10% within 6-12 hours of birth

• After first two feeds continue feeding colostrum from later milking for nutritional value

Why would you suckle feed over tube feed?

Tube feeding can cause damage but do if in rush

How should you store colostrum?

• Bags at 4°C for <1 week or freeze

• Thaw gently if frozen

How do you pasteurise milk?

60 ℃ for 60 minutes

What are the pros and cons of pastuerisation of colostrum?

Pros:

• Bacterial reduction

• Improved efficiency of IgG absorption by ~3%

Cons:

• ≠ sterilization – poo in = poo out!

• Heat treatment kills leukocytes – importance?

• Cost, labour, and maintenance

• Good colostrum management still important

How do you freeze colostrum? What risk is there if feeding to another calf?

• Collect from first milk

• Johne's disease risk- collect from lowest risk animals

What are the pros and cons of colostrums replacers and supplements?

• Efficacy of absorption < natural colostrum

• Expensive (maintain a frozen colostrum bank)

• Less tailored to individual farm (pathogen exposure of dam)

• Can be difficult to determine Ig content

How is failure of transfer defined?

Serum IgG < 10 mg/mL (<1 g/L) corresponds to a serum TP < 55 g/L

Why is failure of passive transfer bad?

• Born agammaglobulinemic

• Pinocytotic mechanism ends by 24 hours of age

• Failure of igG prod or wont absorb enough antibodies

• Major risk factor for all calf disease

When do you assess passive trasnfer?

Day 2 to 7 post-calving

How do you assess passive transfer?

Measure serum immunoglobulin

• Refractometer- TP>55g/L

• ZST and SST> 20 units

• Radial imunodiffusion gold standard but impractical for farm use

When should you evaluate your protocols of passive transfer?

If > 20% of calves with TP < 55 g/L = FPT