Evaluation of Different Oral Rehydration Solutions for Diarrheic Dairy Calves
- 1 University of São Paulo, Brazil
- 2 University of São Paulo, Brazil
Abstract
Regardless of the causative agent, diarrhea results in large loss of water and electrolytes, which leads to reduced performance and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate oral rehydration solutions in order to determine the most effective in restoring electrolytes and water while maintaining animal performance. Forty two calves (14 per treatment) were distributed in one of three treatments (1) Common electrolytes solution (dextrose, sodium bicarbonate and sodium chloride; 507±2 mOsm), (2) Glutellac® (sodium acetate, glucose and sodium and potassium chloride; 665±1 mOsm); and (3) Common electrolytes solution + Aminogut® (glutamate and glutamine; 575±2 mOsm). Treatments were administered when fecal score ≥3, in a scale of 1 to 5. During diarrhea daily water intake was registered and blood sample was taken for metabolites, electrolytes and gases determination. Animals did not differ in days in diarrhea, fecal score or hematocrit. Calves receiving Glutellac® presented higher voluntary water intake. There was no effect of treatment for animal performance and starter feed intake. Concentrations of Na+ and HCO3 tended to be higher for animals rehydrated with Glutellac®. While there was an increase in HCO3 from the first to the second day, K+ and glucose decreased. The increased voluntary water intake in animals rehydrated with Glutellac®, which shows greater simplicity of use, are the main advantages of this solution.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3844/ajavsp.2018.143.151
Copyright: © 2018 Evangelina Miqueo, Jackeline Thais da Silva, Fernanda Lavínia Moura Silva, Nathalia Britto Rocha, Thais Manzoni Torrezan, Giovana Simone Slanzon and Carla Maris Machado Bittar. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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Keywords
- Calf Health
- Dehydration
- Electrolytes
- Neonatal Diarrhea