Ruminant Health

Front 1

Where is the best place to calve beef and dairy cattle in good weather?

Back 1

On Pasture with no mud.

Front 2

In poor weather conditions, where is the best place to calve dairy cattle?

Back 2

well ventilated box stall cleaned (pressure washer/steam cleaner) & disinfected since last calving & bedded with clean straw (note this is rarely done - 70% producers usually add fresh bedding to box stall for each new cow to calve)

Front 3

In poor weather conditions, where is the best place to calve beef cattle?

Back 3

wind break, trees or 3 sided shed

Front 4

Develop a program for a producer to optimize colostral transfer of passive immunity for dairy cattle.

Back 4

Remove calf and administer colostrum by bottle or esophageal intubation. FEED 2 QUARTS OF COLOSTRUM WITHIN 6 HOURS OF BIRTH, THEN 2 QUARTS COLOSTRUM 12 HOURS LATER

Front 5

Develop a program for a producer to optimize colostral transfer of passive immunity for beef cattle.

Back 5

Watch calf and see if it nurses within 12 hours. Focus is on watching calf nurse. Beef cow colostrum usually high quality. If calf is vigorous and appears to have suckled, no intervention needed.

Front 6

Recommend how to treat a sick dairy calf with failure of transfer of passive immunity or septicemia.

Back 6

1) isolate calf from other calves (calf hutch)
2) feed diluted colostrum or fresh whole milk until 3 weeks of life
3) broad spectrum parenteral antibiotics for at least 3 days
4) consider whole blood transfusion (>1 L) or commercial plasma products ID-1 Intravenous, Immunodynamics Perry IA 120 ml (5.4 g IgG1) IV twice daily for 3 days = $102 Midwest Animal Blood Services, Inc MI, 500 ml bovine plasma (9 g IgG1) = $90

Front 7

Recommend how to treat a sick beef calf with failure of transfer of passive immunity or septicemia.

Back 7

1) isolate cow and calf from other cattle (clean pen)
2) broad spectrum parenteral antibiotics for at least 3 days
3) consider whole blood transfusion

Front 8

Recommend how to treat a healthy dairy calf with failure of transfer of passive immunity or septicemia.

Back 8

1) isolate calf from other calves (calf hutch)
2) feed diluted
colostrum or fresh whole milk until 3 weeks of life
3) monitor closely

Front 9

Recommend how to treat a healthy beef calf with failure of transfer of passive immunity or septicemia.

Back 9

1) isolate cow and calf from other cattle (clean pen or lot)
2) monitor closely

Front 10

List the methods to assess transfer of passive immunity in calves

Back 10

1. serum protein concentration
2. sodium sulfite precipitation test
3. Quick Test Calf IgG Kit
4. serum GGT concentration
5. plasma protein concentration
6. zinc sulfate turbidity test
7. gutaraldehyde coagulation test.
8. radial immunodiffusion

Front 11

Describe the serum protein concentration test to assess transfer of passive immunity in calves.

Back 11

determined by refractometry
average calf has 4 g/dL presuckle.
The best screening test.
Cheaper and faster than sodium sulfite precipitation.

Front 12

Describe the sodium sulfite precipitation test to assess transfer of passive immunity in calves.

Back 12

add 0.1 ml serum to 1.9 ml of sodium sulfite solution (14, 16, & 18% of anhydrous Na2SO3 or 28, 32, & 36% of Na2SO3.7H2O), shake gently and keep at room temperature. Read at 60 minutes (J Am Vet Med Assoc 1977; 170:809-811).
accurate even with hemolysis, semiquantitative, measures gamma globulins only.
An excellent semiquantitative test.
Strongly recommended

Front 13

Describe the Quick Test Calf IgG Kit to assess transfer of passive immunity in calves.

Back 13

(Midland Bioproducts Corp, $5/test) 200 µl serum/plasma/blood mixed with reagent and placed in a well lateral flow immunoassay wait 10 minutes (serum/plasma) or 20 minutes (blood) look for 1 line (OK) or 2 lines (FPT) An excellent but EXPENSIVE test,

Front 14

Describe the serum GGT concentration test to assess transfer of passive immunity in calves.

Back 14

determined by automated serum biochemistry.
Not recommended because normal range varies with age

Front 15

Describe the plasma protein concentration test to assess transfer of passive immunity in calves.

Back 15

determined by refractometry not as accurate as serum protein concentration.
Not recommended.

Front 16

Describe the zinc sulfate turbidity test to assess transfer of passive immunity in calves.

Back 16

add 0.1 ml serum to 6 ml ZnSO4 (solution of 208 mg ZnSO4.7H2O per liter of neutral distilled water - water must be boiled for at least 15 minutes to drive off CO2 before adding ZnSO4), shake gently and keep at room temperature. Read at 60 minutes.
Not as accurate as sodium sulfite precipitation test.
Not recommended.

Front 17

Describe the gutaraldehyde coagulation test to assess transfer of passive immunity in calves.

Back 17

Not accurate.
Not recommended.

Front 18

Describe the radial immunodiffusion test to assess transfer of passive immunity in calves.

Back 18

the gold standard (Research)
- test must be run overnight (delay in treatment)
- expensive ($3/test)