Abstract #136
Section: ADSA Production MS Oral Competition (Graduate)
Session: ADSA Production MS Oral Competition (Graduate)
Format: Oral
Day/Time: Monday 2:45 PM–3:00 PM
Location: Room 301 D
Session: ADSA Production MS Oral Competition (Graduate)
Format: Oral
Day/Time: Monday 2:45 PM–3:00 PM
Location: Room 301 D
# 136
Double-blind, block-randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial on effectiveness of zinc supplementation on diarrhea and average daily gain in pre-weaned dairy calves.
Hillary R. Feldmann*1, Deniece R. Williams1, John D. Champagne1, Terry W. Lehenbauer1,2, Sharif S. Aly1,2, 1Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Tulare, CA, 2Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA.
Key Words: zinc, dairy calf, diarrhea
Double-blind, block-randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial on effectiveness of zinc supplementation on diarrhea and average daily gain in pre-weaned dairy calves.
Hillary R. Feldmann*1, Deniece R. Williams1, John D. Champagne1, Terry W. Lehenbauer1,2, Sharif S. Aly1,2, 1Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Tulare, CA, 2Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA.
The objective of this clinical trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of zinc supplementation on diarrhea and average daily weight gain (ADG) in pre-weaned dairy calves. A total of 1,482 healthy Holstein heifer and bull calves from a large California dairy were studied between December 2015 and June 2016. Each calf was enrolled at 24 to 48 h of age until exit from the hutch at approximately 90 d of age. Calves were block-randomized by time to 1 of 3 treatments: (1) placebo, (2) zinc methionine (ZM), or (3) zinc sulfate (ZS) administered in milk once daily for the first 14 d. Serum total protein at enrollment and body weight at birth, end of treatment, and hutch exit were obtained. Fecal consistency was assessed daily for 28 d post-enrollment. For a random sample of 127 calves, serum zinc concentrations before and after treatment and a fecal antigen ELISA at diarrhea start and resolution using a commercial kit (Pathasure Enteritis 4; Biovet, Quebec, Canada) for Escherichia coli K99, rotavirus, coronavirus, Cryptosporidium parvum were performed. Linear regression demonstrated that bull calves treated with ZM had 22g and 27g increased ADG compared with placebo-treated (P = 0.042) and ZS-treated bulls (P = 0.014), respectively. Conversely, ZM-treated heifers had 12g decreased ADG compared with placebo-treated heifers (P = 0.019). There were no other significant differences in ADG. Cox Proportional Hazard regression showed that ZM and ZS-treated calves had a 14.7% (P = 0.015) and 13.9% (P = 0.022) reduced hazard of diarrhea, respectively, compared with placebo-treated calves. Additionally, 8-d-old calves treated at least the first 5 d of diarrhea with ZM and ZS had a 15.6% (P = 0.028) and 8.4% (P = 0.039) increased hazard of clinical cure, respectively, compared with placebo-treated calves. Logistic regression showed that the odds of microbiological cure at diarrhea resolution for any single fecal pathogen was not different between treatments. The current trial showed a potential role of zinc supplementation for improved weight gain and diarrhea prevention in pre-weaned dairy calves with the need for further research on sex-specific or weight-based dosing.
Key Words: zinc, dairy calf, diarrhea
