Care of the Newborn Calf :  Mini Review

Care of the Newborn Calf :  Mini Review

The newborn calf is highly susceptible to different disease conditions during the neonatal period (first month after birth). It has been observed that 75% of the mortality of dairy heifers occur during the first month of calf’s life. Diseases of the newborn and neonatal mortality result into huge economic loss in livestock production. The transition of intra-uterine to extra-uterine life is very challenging for the newborn. This article gives an outline of our current knowledge on the pathophysiology of newborn calf and presents practical guidelines to manage those pathological conditions during the time of calving and throughout neonatal period.

1. Initiation of respiration

• Draw out the tongue back and forth.
• Remove all the mucous from mouth cavity and nostrils with fingers.
• Air to be blown into the nasal cavity.
• Rub the chest vigorously with towel or smooth gunny bag. This helps in stimulating respiration.
• Hind legs of the calf are to be hold and swing them back and forth leading to discharge of large amount of mucous from the throat and nose.
• Insert a smooth straw to tickle the nasal cavity.
• If the above methods fail, administer 40-100 mg Doxapram hydrochloride by intravenous route. It will stimulate the respiration.
• If respiration is not established even after administering Doxapram, but heart is functioning, then attempt artificial respiration.
• For artificial respiration: a negative intra-thoracic pressure has to be created by raising and lowering the upper chest wall. It is required to establish the first breath.
• Sometimes, difficulty in breathing is observed in immature calves, in this case, administer 2-4 mg Dexamethasone by intravenous route.

2. Maintenance of thermoregulation

• Make sure that the milk intake of the calf is adequate.
• Ensure that the birth of newborn to occur in thermally neutral temperature.
• Place the calf in an environmental temperature of 30-33ºC for first 24 hours, then reduce it to 26-30ºC by 72 hours.
• Keep the body coat of the calf adequately dry.
• Put a smooth gunny bag on the calf to keep it warm during winter months.

3. Management of acidosis condition

Mild metabolic and respiratory acidosis are common in normal birth of the fetus. In dystocia (difficult birth), severe respiratory and metabolic acidosis are observed. Severe acidosis has detrimental effect on the function of both heart and lungs.

• Signs of acidosis
  • Decreased heart rate.
  • Jugular filling time is prolonged.
  • Body muscle tone is poor.
  • Pedal reflex is absent.
  • Time to attain sternal recumbency is more than 15 minutes.
• Treatment: – Administer 250-500 ml of 2% sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) by slow intravenous route.

4. Feeding of colostrum

• Colostrum should be given to the newborn within first 2 hours of birth.
• In unavailability of colostrum, 200-500 ml of dam’s serum or whole blood should be injected by subcutaneous route to the newborn (large animal), and 20-100 ml to the young one (small animal).

5. Feeding of milk

Milk should be given to the newborn at the rate of 10% of the calf’s weight per day and the maximum amount of milk should not cross 5-6 litre/day.

6. Dehorning should be done within first 15 days of calf’s life.

7. The calf should be vaccinated at regular intervals.

8. Proper inspection of natural orifices

The patency of all the natural orifices in the calf’s body should be examined to rule out any surgical condition.

9. Retained meconium

• Some waste products of fetus’s body are stored in the rectum and colon of the fetus during gestation period, known as meconium. If the meconium is retained, it may cause lack of appetite and symptoms of colic.
• If this condition arises, administer enema of soap, saline and water or castor oil or glycerin.

10. Management of persistent urachus

• In this condition, urine dribbles through the urachus continuously.
• The affected part should be cauterized with tincture iodine.

11. Prevention of umbilical infection

• In case of un-ruptured umbilical cord, the cord should be ligated approx. 2 inches from the umbilicus and cut with scissors, then the stump should be cleaned with antiseptic liquid. If the bleeding is not profuse, then the umbilicus should be allowed to drain.
• Apply tincture iodine on the stump. Remove the ligation after 12-24 hours.

12. Disease condition of the newborn calf

Newborn calves are highly susceptible to different disease conditions. The mortality rate is also high during neonatal period (from birth to 28^th day). So, utmost care to be taken to keep them safe.

• Joint ill (Navel ill)

• Calves are found dead without any specific symptom.
• Sub-acute symptoms
• Swelled navel along with formation of abscess.
• Swollen, hot and painful joints (commonly in knee joint).
• Treatment– Antibiotic therapy.

• Neonatal diarrhea (White scour)

• Causative agent– Escherichia coli
• Day old calves are highly susceptible.
• In acute cases, septicemia occurs and calves are found to be dead without any clinical symptom.
• Sub-acute symptoms– foul smelling diarrhea, yellowish brown to white colored feces is observed.
• Severe dehydration, eyes are sunken.
• Loss of appetite.
• Treatment-
• Do not allow the calf to suckle milk.
• Intravenous administration of DNS.
• Antibiotic therapy.

• Calf diphtheria

 Causative agent– Fusiformis necrophorus

• Throat area is swelled.
• Difficulty in breathing.
• Cough, discharge of sticky greenish mucus, tongue is swelled and protruded.
• Mortality is very high.
• Treatment– Antibiotic therapy.

Conclusion

In spite of advances in dairy health and livestock productivity, the neonatal calf mortality is still high in many advanced dairy farms. Though some of this calf loss are genetically inherited so, are out of farmer’s control, but management strategies at the herd level can improve the neonatal welfare. The key features of successful calf management are shifting the cows and heifers in suitable maternity shed, adequate supervision during parturition, strategic control of thermoregulation, respiration, umbilical antisepsis, adequate feeding of colostrum and milk, proper management of metabolic conditions and infectious diseases of the newborn calf throughout the neonatal period.

Shubham Singha^1*, Nutan Chauhan², Abadhut Dey³

¹Ph.D Scholar, Veterinary Gynaecology & Obstetrics Division, ICAR- National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana-132001, India

²Ph.D Scholar, Animal Nutrition Division, ICAR- National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana-132001, India

³Ph.D Scholar, Department of Livestock Products Technology, West Bengal University of Animal & Fishery Sciences, Kolkata, West Bengal- 700037, India

Email- shubhamsingha95@gmail.com 

References

Goanță, A. M., Mihai, A. and Ioniță, L. (2018). A review of the adaptation of the newborn calf to its environment. Scientific Papers: Series D, Animal Science-The International Session of Scientific Communications of the Faculty of Animal Science, 61.

Kumar, P. (2015). Applied veterinary gynaecology and obstetrics.

Mee, J. F. (2008). Managing the calf at calving time. In American Association of Bovine Practitioners Proceedings of the Annual Conference. 46-53.

Mee, J. F. (2008). Newborn dairy calf management. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice, 24(1), 1-17.

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