Providing a sufficient quantity of good quality colostrum is critical for male and female calves to reduce the risk of disease and mortality. Practical tests have not been validated at arrival to veal facilities to determine failure of passive transfer (FPT). There are many challenges to validation including the lack of information regarding the age of the calf and the high prevalence of dehydration. The objective of this study was to validate a semiquantitative IgG test using whole blood and a digital refractometer using serum to determine passive transfer status. A total of 149 Holstein calves were evaluated at arrival to a milk-fed veal facility for dehydration status and had blood drawn to evaluate passive transfer. Serum IgG was determined by radial immunodiffusion (RID), whereas, serum total protein (STP) was evaluated using a digital refractometer (Misco Palm Abbe) and a semiquantitative test (ZAPvet Bovine IgG test) was used on whole blood to determine failure of passive transfer. A nonparametric receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated to compare STP and IgG levels. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and negative predictive values were calculated for STP and the semiquantitative IgG test using RID as a gold standard test. A total of 31 calves (21%) had a level of serum IgG <1,000 mg/dL. The level of total protein was well correlated with the level of IgG yielding an R² value of 0.75. The cut point to determine passive transfer on serum was ≥5.1 g/dL, yielding a sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 90%. The semiquantitative test performed poorly on whole blood with a sensitivity of 77% and a specificity of 44%. This study demonstrates that serum total protein is a reliable measure to evaluate passive transfer status and can be used despite high levels of dehydration and the inability to determine the calf’s age.