Bovine Respiratory Disease in Veal Calves: Benefits Associated with Its Early Detection by Lung Ultrasonography and Its Prompt Treatment with a Single Dose of a Fixed Combination of Florfenicol and Meloxicam †
by
, , , ,
Anastasia Lisuzzo
1
,
Damien Achard
2,
Alessio Valenza
3,
Barbara Contiero
1
,
Luca Cozza
4,
Eliana Schiavon
5,
Giacomo Catarin
1,
Fabio Conte
6 and
Enrico Fiore
1,* 1
Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padua, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
2
Ceva Santé Animale, 33500 Libourne, France
3
Ceva Animal Health S.p.A., 20127 Milan, Italy
4
Independent Researcher, 31054 Possagno, Italy
5
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
6
National Veterinary Service, ULSS 3, 30174 Mestre, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the Conference “Proceeding of 32th World Buiatrics Congress (WBC)”, Cancun, Mexico, 20–24 May 2024; pp. 286–287.
Animals 2024, 14(23), 3499; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14233499
Submission received: 14 October 2024
/
Revised: 29 November 2024
/
Accepted: 30 November 2024
/
Published: 4 December 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ruminant Health: Management, Challenges, and Veterinary Solutions)
Simple Summary
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is often not detected in time, mostly because of the lack of sensitivity of clinical examinations. This frequently leads to a delay in the treatment of the disease and an increased usage of antimicrobials. Lung ultrasonography examinations have recently emerged as an additional tool that can facilitate the detection of BRD and potentially improve the outcomes of its treatment. The aims of this study were to monitor the evolution of BRD by clinical and ultrasonographic assessments in veal calves during one production cycle and the healing process of lung lesions following a single administration of a fixed combination of florfenicol and meloxicam. Our findings revealed that most treatments were performed between 3 and 28 days after arrival. Moreover, lungs lesions were detected five days before clinical scores. The following treatment was able to reduce lung lesion within 5 days in almost all animals without relapse. Furthermore, no differences in growth and performance were evidenced between treated and healthy animals. These results suggested that a prompt treatment with a fixed combination of florfenicol and meloxicam can lead to several key benefits for the health of veal calves.
Abstract
Lung ultrasonography can facilitate bovine respiratory disease (BRD) detection and can potentially improve treatment outcomes. In this study, ninety-six veal calves were followed weekly with clinical and lung ultrasound examinations during the production cycle. Thirty-six calves had clinical signs and abnormal lung ultrasound scans (TRT, n = 36) and were promptly treated with florfenicol and meloxicam. Healthy veal calves without clinical signs and lung lesions were enrolled in the control group (CTR, n = 48), while 12 calves were excluded by the study. The clinical (Wisconsin and California scores), ultrasound and lung lesion scores, total lung consolidation area, treatment rates (success, relapse, mortality), average daily gain (ADG), carcass quality, and gross lesions of lungs at slaughterhouse were monitored. Results showed 91.7% of treatments were performed 3–28 days after arrival. Lung lesions occurred five days before the peak of clinical scores. Following treatment, lungs healed within 5 days with high treatment success rates (97.1% success rate in 45 days and 94.9% overall success rate without relapse). Finally, TRT had similar gross lung lesion prevalence, ADG, and carcass quality to CTR. These results suggest that early detection of BRD followed by a prompt treatment can lead to several key benefits for the health and the growth performances of veal calves.
Keywords:
BRD; treatment; ultrasonography; lung lesion; bronchopneumonia; veal calves
