Meier Kim K, Stock Annegret, Merle Roswitha, Arndt Heidi, Dachrodt Linda, Hoedemaker Martina, Kellermann Laura, Knubben-Schweizer Gabriela, Volkmann Maria, Müller Kerstin-Elisabeth
Division for Ruminants and Camelids, Unit for Internal Medicine and Surgery, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Farm Animal Clinic, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Front Vet Sci. 2024 Nov 25;11:1480851. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1480851. eCollection 2024.
Knowledge about potential risk factors for animal health is crucial to achieve animal welfare. The aim of this study was to provide practical guidance for farmers to improve the health status of their youngstock by identifying and eliminating risk factors for omphalitis in neonatal calves. A cross-sectional study including 3,445 dairy calves from 567 farms located in three structurally different regions of Germany was performed from December 2016 to July 2019. On each farm calves aged five to 21 days underwent clinical examinations with special consideration of the umbilicus for signs of inflammation. Information regarding animal health, hygiene, and management was obtained via interviews with the farmers. Rearing conditions were recorded following visual inspection using written standard operating procedures. Multifactorial statistical analyses were performed to identify potential risk factors for omphalitis on animal and farm level. The overall omphalitis prevalence in calves aged five to 21 days was 30.9%. Across all regions and farms, every fourth calf per farm exhibited signs of omphalitis (median farm prevalence: 25.0%, interquartile range: 0.0-50.0%). According to the farmers, however, only 4.5% of the calves had been treated for omphalitis in the preceding 12 months. Risk factors for omphalitis identified included the dampness of the lying area in the first 2 weeks of life, a body condition score of the dam after calving outside the optimal range, and the time that calves spent with their dam after birth. Calves on farms providing dry lying areas in the first 2 weeks of life had 0.77 times the risk of omphalitis compared to calves on farms with predominantly damp bedding. When the dams were judged under- or over-conditioned after calving, their offspring had a 1.4 times higher omphalitis risk, respectively, compared to calves from dams optimal conditioned. Calves from farms separating calf and dam beyond 12 h after birth were 0.75 times as likely to develop omphalitis than calves from farms performing immediate separation. These results highlight the complexity of multifactorial diseases such as umbilical infection. The evidence presented can help to establish guidelines for dairy farmers to improve the umbilical health of their calves.
了解动物健康的潜在风险因素对于实现动物福利至关重要。本研究的目的是通过识别和消除新生犊牛脐炎的风险因素，为养殖户提供切实可行的指导，以改善其幼畜的健康状况。2016年12月至2019年7月，在德国三个结构不同地区的567个农场进行了一项横断面研究，共纳入3445头奶牛犊牛。在每个农场，对5至21日龄的犊牛进行临床检查，特别注意脐部有无炎症迹象。通过与养殖户访谈获取有关动物健康、卫生和管理的信息。采用书面标准操作规程进行目视检查后记录饲养条件。进行多因素统计分析，以确定动物和农场层面脐炎的潜在风险因素。5至21日龄犊牛的总体脐炎患病率为30.9%。在所有地区和农场中，每个农场每四头犊牛中就有一头表现出脐炎迹象（农场患病率中位数：25.0%，四分位间距：0.0-50.0%）。然而，据养殖户称，在过去12个月中，只有4.5%的犊牛因脐炎接受过治疗。确定的脐炎风险因素包括出生后前2周躺卧区域潮湿、产犊后母牛的体况评分超出最佳范围以及犊牛出生后与母牛相处的时间。与垫料主要潮湿的农场的犊牛相比，出生后前2周提供干燥躺卧区域的农场的犊牛患脐炎的风险为其0.77倍。当母牛产犊后被判定体况过瘦或过肥时，与体况最佳的母牛所产犊牛相比，其后代患脐炎的风险分别高出1.4倍。出生后12小时后将犊牛与母牛分开的农场的犊牛患脐炎的可能性是立即分开的农场的犊牛的0.75倍。这些结果凸显了脐部感染等多因素疾病的复杂性。所提供的证据有助于为奶农制定改善犊牛脐部健康的指导方针。
