[Comparison of different resuscitation methods for newborn calves after dystocia].

Tierarztl Prax Ausg G Grosstiere Nutztiere

Tierklinik für Reproduktionsmedizin und Neugeborenenkunde, Klinikum Veterinärmedizin, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Deutschland.

Published: August 2023

AI Article Synopsis

  • - The study compared two resuscitation methods for newborn dystocial calves: using hand-powered vacuum pumps and suspending the calves by their hind legs, focusing on their recovery times and health outcomes. - Data was gathered from 60 calves divided into three groups: two groups used different hand-powered vacuum pumps to clear mucus, while the third group had cold water poured over them and was suspended upside down. - Results showed no significant differences in recovery times, heart rates, respiratory rates, and temperatures among the groups, indicating that both methods were similarly effective for resuscitation.

Article Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to compare the use of hand-powered vacuum pumps and the suspension by the hind legs within the scope of resuscitating newborn dystocial calves.

Material And Methods: For this study, data were collected from 60 dystocial calves of different breeds. Various reanimation methods were employed to these calves immediately after birth. In group I (n=20), the hand-powered vacuum pump from HK-Rheintechnik (Neuwied, Deutschland) was used to remove mucus and amniotic fluid from the respiratory tract. In group II (n=20), the McCulloch Medical (Elmwood, England) hand-powered vacuum pump was used to remove mucus and amniotic fluid from the respiratory tract. In group III (n=20) 10 to 12 liters of cold water were poured over the neck of 20 calves immediately after birth. In addition, the calves were suspended by the hind legs via a gate or a pole, so that the head hung downwards vertically. The calves' Time to Sternal Recumbency (T-SR) of the calves was measured following the different resuscitation procedures in order to assess their vitality. In addition, the calves were examined segmentally at one-hour post natum. Furthermore, the calves were examined clinically on the seventh day of life. In addition, we investigated whether confounding variables such as calf sex, dam parity, obstetric intervention, and the season affected T-SR.

Results: T-SR ranged from 1.5 to 10.5 minutes. There was no difference between the three initial treatment procedures (p=0.07). However, the T-SR of calves treated with a hand-powered vacuum pump tended to be shorter. No statistically significant difference between the pulse rates (p=0.73), respiratory rates (p=0.13), and rectal temperature (p=0.65) of the animals in the three groups on the first and seventh day of life was evident. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of the diseases up to the seventh day of life between the individual study groups.

Conclusion And Clinical Relevance: The present study was able to show that the use of hand-powered vacuum pumps is at least equivalent to suspending calves. When using hand-powered vacuum pumps, the girth of the muzzle must be taken into account, as this can limit their utility.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/a-2147-3658DOI Listing

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