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Cited by 28Animal health and immunologyAnimal Behavior and Welfare StudiesMicrobial infections and disease research

Veal calf health on the day of arrival at growers in Ohio 1,2

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Pempek, J., Trearchis, D., Masterson, M., Habing, G., Proudfoot, K.·2017·Journal of Animal Science
DOI 10.2527/jas.2017.1642
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Abstract

Veal calves are at high risk for disease and mortality in early life. Calves face a number of stressors before arriving at the grower, including long transport times, which may contribute to poor health. Our objectives were to 1) estimate the prevalence of poor health outcomes in veal calves on arrival at growers in Ohio; 2) determine risk factors for health outcomes on arrival, including BW and auction site (spread across 5 states in the Northeastern United States); and 3) determine if health outcomes on arrival predict early mortality. A physical examination was conducted on approximately 30 calves (mean of 45.9 kg [SD 3.0]) from 12 cohorts (n = 383 calves). Exams included a blood sample to determine packed cell volume (an estimate of dehydration using a cutoff > 46%) and total protein (an estimate failure of passive transfer using a cutoff < 5.5 g/dL and 6.0 g/dL to account for dehydration). Diarrhea, respiratory disease, depression, navel inflammation, and a skin tent test (a second indicator of dehydration) were also recorded. Mortality within 4 wk of age was collected from farm records. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the prevalence of calves with poor health outcomes on arrival. Generalized linear mixed models were used to identify risk factors for poor health on arrival and assess if poor health increased the incidence risk of mortality. Upon arrival, 6% (95% confidence interval 4.4 to 7.6%) of calves had failure of passive transfer using a cut-off of 5.5 g/dL, and 22.5% (18.1 to 26.8%) had failure of passive transfer using a cut-off of 5.5 g/dL, and 22.5% (18.1 to 26.8%) had failure of passive transfer using a cut-off of 6.0%; 14% (9.1 to 18.8%) had diarrhea, 0.5% (0 to 1.3%) had respiratory disease, 14% (8.5 to 19.3%) were depressed, and 27% (22.7 to 30.7%) had inflamed navels. In addition, 35.1% (23.5 to 46.6%) of calves were dehydrated using a skin tent test, but only 1.3% (0.0 to 2.9%) were dehydrated based on the packed cell volume threshold. Auction site was associated with depression on arrival (P = 0.008) and tended to be associated with skin tent on arrival (P = 0.08). None of the health variables were predictors of early mortality; however, mortality was generally low for all cohorts (4.3%; range 1.7 to 6.8%). These results estimate the prevalence of dehydration, diarrhea, navel inflammation, and depression in veal calves on arrival at growers and demonstrate that some health outcomes are dependent on auction site. We conclude that there are many opportunities to intervene to improve their health and welfare before the calves arrive at the grower.

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  • Failure of passive transfer of immunity has been reported to occur disproportionately often in male and non-replacement dairy calves, mostly due to inadequate colostrum management on the farm of birth.

    “Moreover, failure of passive transfer of immunity has been reported to occur disproportionately often in male and non-replacement dairy calves, mostly due to inadequate colostrum management on the farm of birth [22–24].”

    From Effects of age and feeding protocols on the metabolic and physiological condition of unweaned calves during and after long-distance transport (2026) · cites this paper as [23]

    The Introduction (page not available in our copy) reports failure of passive transfer in veal calves and says insufficient colostrum was a likely cause in an earlier study. The Discussion reports failure of passive transfer in this study’s male veal calves, but does not establish that it occurs disproportionately often in male or non-replacement calves. It also does not establish inadequate colostrum management on the farm of birth as the predominant cause. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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  • The fact that external scoring of hydration (skin tent) is not always directly related to other methods of measuring dehydration may indicate a priority toward preserving blood volume over subcutaneous tissues and that skin tent is likely an indicator of early-stage dehydration.

    “The fact that the external scoring of hydration (i.e., skin tent) is not always directly related to other methods of measuring dehydration (34, 35) may indicate a priority toward preserving blood volume over subcutaneous tissues and that skin tent is likely an indicator of early-stage dehydration.”

    From Effect of source and journey on physiological variables in calves transported by road and ferry between Ireland and the Netherlands (2023) · cites this paper as [34]

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  1. W. B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, PA. p. 343-365.

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Authors
Pempek, J., Trearchis, D., Masterson, M., Habing, G., & Proudfoot, K.
Affiliations
The Ohio State University (US)
Corresponding author
Proudfoot, K.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Animal Science
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2017-09-01
Volume
95
Issue
9
Pages
3863-3872
ISSN
  • 0021-8812 (ISSN-L)
  • 1525-3163
DOI
10.2527/jas.2017.1642
OpenAlex
W4243603344
Cited by
28
References
42
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2
FWCI
1.29
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Animal Science (publishedVersion)
  • IslandScholar (University of Prince Edward Island) (submittedVersion)
Funders
USDA NIFA Animal Health Formula Fund (2015-36100-06083)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal health and immunology
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Microbiology › Microbial infections and disease research
Keywords
veal calves, calf mortality, failure of passive transfer, dehydration, hematocrit, total protein, diarrhea, respiratory diseases, transport stress, risk factors, body weight

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