Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug therapy for neonatal calf diarrhea complex: Effects on calf performance

Todd, C. G.; Millman, S. T.; McKnight, D. R.; Duffield, T. F.; Leslie, K. E.

Individual calf fecal consistency scores were assigned daily, using a 4-point scale (1 = normal, firm stool; 2 = soft, does not hold form; 3 = runny, spreads easily; 4 = liquid, devoid of solid matter), as described by Larson et al. (1977) . To standardize the fecal scoring system, descriptions and photographs of fecal consistency were provided to the technical staff. Diarrhea was defined as a fecal score greater than 2. Fecal scores of 3 and 4 were described as mild and severe diarrhea, respectively. At the naturally occurring onset of diarrhea, defined as the first occurrence of a fecal score greater than 2, the calves were enrolled in the study. However, for those calves that presented clinical signs of diarrhea before 1 wk of age, enrollment was delayed by 1 d and fecal consistency was reassessed during the ensuing 24-h period. This practice was used to confirm that a truly active first case of diarrhea was identified. The study calves were randomly assigned to receive a single subcutaneous injection of MEL (Metacam 20 mg/mL solution for injection for cattle, pigs and horses, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, Ingelheim, Germany) at a rate of 0.5 mg/kg of BW or an equal volume of placebo (PLA) solution. The PLA solution was a clear yellow sterile solution, identical in appearance to the test article, and was formulated as the vehicle without MEL (Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH). For this study, MEL was obtained with an Experimental Studies Certificate (No. 50002) under the authority of Health Canada, Veterinary Drugs Directorate.