Oral hydration is an effective adjuvant treatment for bovine respiratory disease

Júlia Miró ¹ Lorenzo Fraile ^1,2 Ramon Armengol ^1,2*

• ¹ Universitat de Lleida, Lleida, Spain
• ² Agrotecnio Center, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain

The goal of this study was to find out if oral hydration is an effective adjuvant treatment for bovine respiratory disease. To achieve this objective, clinical and performance outcomes were compared between bovine respiratory disease (BRD) affected calves treated with antibiotic (florfenicol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs-meloxicam) (group GNH) versus calves receiving the same antibiotic and NSAIDs plus an adjuvant therapy based on oral hydration (group GH) at 7% of the body weight (BW) during five days. A group of healthy calves, from the same batch and age, was also included as negative control. Crossbred calves (Aberdeen Angus-Holstein Frisian) were enrolled based on a clinical BRD score (0-3 points per clinical sign: rectal temperature, nasal discharge, eye discharge, cough, and ear/head position) during the first 21 days of the fattening period. Thus, BRD affected calf was defined if had a BRD score equal or higher than 5 points. BRD affected calves (n=130) were randomly allocated to GH (n=65) or GNH (n=65) groups. Clinical score was monitored after 4 days to determine curation or retreatment. Performance outcomes (body weight -BW-and average daily gain -ADG-) were also measured in both experimental groups and in the negative control group at days of inclusion, 42 and 80 since beginning the trial. Throughout the trial, Group GH resulted in significantly (P≤0.05) lower clinical score after 4 days, and significant absence of BRD cases becoming chronic, compared to group GNH. When BW data were analyzed in a multivariable model considering BW at day 0 as a factor in the model to estimate correctly BW2, BW3 and ADG2 and ADG3 and ADG global, GH calves showed significantly (P≤0.05) higher ADG throughout the trial (Inclusion-42d, 42-80d and Inclusion-80d) compared to GNH ones. In this study, fattening calves with clinical BRD, receiving antibiotic and NSAIDs plus an adjuvant therapy, based on oral hydration at 7% of their BW for 5 days, had better curation rate, less chronical cases, and better performance parameters, compared to calves that only received antibiotic and NSAIDs.