Institute of Animal Sciences, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Guba Sándor u. 40, Kaposvár, H-7400 Hungary.
Bona Adventure Ltd., Peres utca 44, Gödöllő, H-2100 Hungary.
J Dairy Sci. 2022 Feb;105(2):1618-1624. doi: 10.3168/jds.2021-20704. Epub 2021 Nov 17.
A promising strategy to improve newborn calf survival could be the administration of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) especially in cases of low vitality calves born from difficult calvings. The objective of this clinical trial was to determine the effect of a single-dose meloxicam treatment [target dosage = 0.5 mg/kg ad usum veterinarium (A.U.V.) injection] on parameters of lying behavior of Holstein-Friesian dairy calves (n = 180) born to eutocic (n = 98) compared with dystocic dams (n = 82). Animal-based measures included newborn calf vitality (low, 1-6 scores; normal, 7-12 scores, scored immediately after birth), calf sex and birth weight, parity of the dam, and early maternal behavior (the time spent licking the calf). Parameters of the complex lying behavior were recorded during the first 48 h after delivery and included (1) the time spent standing, (2) lying down frequency, (3) the longest standing bout, (4) the average duration of standing bouts, (5) the first successful standing, and (6) the first attempt to stand. None of the parameters related to lying behavior were influenced by the parity of the dam, calf sex, or birth weight and maternal grooming behavior. The latency and the first attempt to stand were not influenced by the NSAID treatment; however, the time spent standing, the longest standing bout, and the average duration of standing indicated increased standing ability of meloxicam-treated calves with low vitality, but not in normal-vitality calves. The latency to stand and first attempt to stand were both increased by dystocia. Based on the present findings, sensory measurement of parameters of lying behavior during the immediate neonatal period might be useful to evaluate the efficiency of NSAID protocols. A single-dose meloxicam treatment showed considerable promise for improving standing ability of low-vitality calves.
提高新生牛犊存活率的一种有前景的策略可能是使用非甾体抗炎药（NSAID），特别是在活力低下的牛犊出生于难产的情况下。本临床试验的目的是确定单次剂量美洛昔康治疗（目标剂量=0.5mg/kg 兽医使用（A.U.V.）注射）对荷斯坦弗里森奶牛犊（n=180）躺卧行为参数的影响，这些牛犊出生于正常分娩（n=98）与难产（n=82）的母牛。基于动物的措施包括新生牛犊活力（低，1-6 分；正常，7-12 分，出生后立即评分）、牛犊性别和出生体重、母牛的胎次以及早期的母性行为（舔舐小牛的时间）。在分娩后 48 小时内记录复杂躺卧行为的参数，包括（1）站立时间，（2）躺下频率，（3）最长站立时间，（4）站立时间的平均持续时间，（5）第一次成功站立，以及（6）第一次尝试站立。与躺卧行为相关的参数均不受母牛胎次、牛犊性别或出生体重和母性行为的影响。潜伏期和第一次尝试站立不受 NSAID 治疗的影响；然而，站立时间、最长站立时间和站立时间的平均持续时间表明，活力低下的美洛昔康治疗牛犊的站立能力提高，但正常活力的牛犊则没有。难产会增加潜伏期和第一次尝试站立的时间。基于目前的研究结果，在新生儿期立即测量躺卧行为参数可能有助于评估 NSAID 方案的效率。单次剂量美洛昔康治疗对提高低活力牛犊的站立能力具有很大的潜力。
