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.

There is only one other clinical trial that has formally evaluated the therapeutic value of an NSAID as an adjunct treatment for neonatal calf diarrhea complex in dairy calves (Barnett et al., 2003) . Those researchers concluded that calves with putative hemorrhagic enteritis benefited from a single treatment of flunixin meglumine, as evidenced by fewer morbid days and a reduced need for antimicrobial therapy. Milk replacer, grain, and water intakes were not measured; hence, the effect of flunixin meglumine on calf appetite is unknown. However, several other studies have identified positive associations between NSAID therapy and appetite in sick animals. Baile et al. (1981) demonstrated that after a bacterial pyrogen endotoxin challenge, sheep receiving a single dose of dipyrone consumed more concentrate pelleted ration than saline-treated control animals. Indomethacin treatment has been reported to attenuate lipopolysaccharide-induced anorexia in rats (Langhans et al., 1989) , chickens (Johnson et al., 1993) , and pigs (Johnson and von Borell, 1994) . Furthermore, the selective COX-2 inhibitor NS-398 has been shown to mitigate the suppression of food intake in rats after lipopolysaccharide administration (Lugarini et al., 2002) .