Knowles T G, Warriss P D, Brown S N, Edwards J E, Watkins P E, Phillips A J
School of Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford.
Vet Rec. 1997 Feb 1;140(5):116-24. doi: 10.1136/vr.140.5.116.
Two trials, each involving 56 calves less than one month old, demonstrated that the responses of calves to food and water deprivation during 24 hours of transport were similar to those observed in older cattle and lambs. There was increasing utilisation of body reserves and a measurable increase in dehydration, coupled with an increased loss of liveweight. Feeding 1 litre of glucose/electrolyte solution at eight-hour intervals did reduce the effects of food and water deprivation, but it is suggested that the minor benefits of mid-transport feeding during a 24-hour journey would not justify the disruption that would be caused by unloading and feeding. It would be better to complete the journey in as short a time as possible, providing the calves were carried under suitable conditions. Liveweight and the levels of plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate, non-esterified fatty acids, total protein and albumin had all returned to approximately pre-transport values after 24 hours of recovery. However, the calves had not started to gain in liveweight until some time after 24 but before 72 hours of recovery. The calves did not show the same marked responses in heart rate, plasma cortisol and plasma glucose that are observed in older cattle and in other species. They also appeared to be unable to regulate their body temperature closely, when they were transported during the winter. It is suggested that their lack of response to transport was not because they were unaffected but because they were physiologically unadapted to coping with transport.
两项试验，每项试验涉及56头不满1个月大的犊牛，结果表明，犊牛在24小时运输期间对食物和水剥夺的反应与在年龄较大的牛和羔羊身上观察到的反应相似。身体储备的利用率不断提高，脱水现象明显增加，同时体重损失也增加。每隔8小时喂1升葡萄糖/电解质溶液确实能减轻食物和水剥夺的影响，但有人认为，在24小时的旅程中进行运输途中喂食的微小好处，不足以证明卸载和喂食所造成的干扰是合理的。如果犊牛是在合适的条件下运输，最好尽可能短时间内完成旅程。恢复24小时后，体重以及血浆β-羟基丁酸、非酯化脂肪酸、总蛋白和白蛋白水平均已恢复到接近运输前的水平。然而，犊牛直到恢复24小时之后但在72小时之前的某个时候才开始增加体重。犊牛在心率、血浆皮质醇和血浆葡萄糖方面没有表现出与年龄较大的牛和其他物种相同的明显反应。在冬季运输时，它们似乎也无法密切调节体温。有人认为，它们对运输缺乏反应不是因为未受影响，而是因为它们在生理上不适应应对运输。
