Dehydrated calves with diarrhea are routinely given an oral electrolyte solution (OES) by suckling or esophageal intubation. An important issue related to rehydration therapy is the rate of OES delivery to the small intestine. It is widely assumed that the glucose content of the OES does not impact the speed of resuscitation and that fluid administered by esophageal intubation provides a similar resuscitative response to that obtained by suckling. The aims of this study were to compare the abomasal emptying rate in calves suckling an OES containing a high or low glucose concentration and in calves administered a high-glucose OES by suckling or esophageal intubation. Seven male Holstein-Friesian calves were given the following treatments in random order: 2 L of a commercially available high-glucose OES ([glucose] = 405 mM) by suckling or esophageal intubation or 2 L of a commercially available low-glucose OES ([glucose] = 56 mM) by suckling. Abomasal emptying rate was determined by acetaminophen absorption, ultrasonography, and glucose absorption. High-glucose OES rapidly increased plasma glucose concentration after suckling but produced a slower rate of abomasal emptying than did low-glucose OES. Esophageal intubation of high-glucose OES produced the same initial change in abomasal volume as did suckling, but delayed the rate of OES delivery to the small intestine. Our results suggest that suckling a low-glucose OES provides the fastest rate of abomasal emptying and plasma volume expansion, whereas a high-glucose OES provides the most appropriate oral solution for treating hypoglycemic calves.

No abstract

Optimal fluid therapy protocols in neonatal calves and adult cattle are based on consideration of signalment, history, and physical examination findings, and individually tailored whenever laboratory analysis is available. Measurement of the magnitude of eye recession, duration of skin tenting in the lateral neck region, and urine specific gravity by refractometry provide the best estimates of hydration status in calves and cattle. Intravenous and oral electrolyte solutions (OES) are frequently administered to critically ill calves and adult cattle. Application of physicochemical principles indicates that 0.9% NaCl, Ringer's solution, and 5% dextrose are equally acidifying, lactated Ringer's and acetated Ringer's solution are neutral to mildly acidifying, and 1.3–1.4% sodium bicarbonate solutions are strongly alkalinizing in cattle. Four different crystalloid solutions are recommended for intravenous fluid therapy in dehydrated or septic calves and dehydrated adult cattle: (1) lactated Ringer's solution and acetated Ringer's solution for dehydrated calves, although neither solution is optimized for administration to neonatal calves or adult cattle; (2) isotonic (1.3%) or hypertonic (5.0 or 8.4%) solutions of sodium bicarbonate for the treatment of calves with diarrhea and severe strong ion (metabolic) acidosis and hyponatremia, and adult cattle with acute ruminal acidosis; (3) Ringer's solution for the treatment of metabolic alkalosis in dehydrated adult cattle, particularly lactating dairy cattle; and (4) hypertonic NaCl solutions (7.2%) and an oral electrolyte solution or water load for the rapid resuscitation of dehydrated neonatal calves and adult cattle. Much progress has been made since the 1970's in identifying important attributes of an OES for diarrheic calves. Important components of an OES for neonatal calves are osmolality, sodium concentration, the effective SID that reflects the concentration of alkalinizing agents, and the energy content. The last three factors are intimately tied to the OES osmolality and the abomasal emptying rate, and therefore the rate of sodium delivery to the small intestine and ultimately the rate of resuscitation. An important need in fluid and electrolyte therapy for adult ruminants is formulation of a practical, effective, and inexpensive OES.

Dehydrated calves with diarrhea are routinely given an oral electrolyte solution (OES) by suckling or esophageal intubation. An important issue related to rehydration therapy is the rate of OES delivery to the small intestine. It is widely assumed that the glucose content of the OES does not impact the speed of resuscitation and that fluid administered by esophageal intubation provides a similar resuscitative response to that obtained by suckling. The aims of this study were to compare the abomasal emptying rate in calves suckling an OES containing a high or low glucose concentration and in calves administered a high-glucose OES by suckling or esophageal intubation. Seven male Holstein-Friesian calves were given the following treatments in random order: 2 L of a commercially available high-glucose OES ([glucose] 5 405 mM) by suckling or esophageal intubation or 2 L of a commercially available low-glucose OES ([glucose] 5 56 mM) by suckling. Abomasal emptying rate was determined by acetaminophen absorption, ultrasonography, and glucose absorption. High-glucose OES rapidly increased plasma glucose concentration after suckling but produced a slower rate of abomasal emptying than did lowglucose OES. Esophageal intubation of high-glucose OES produced the same initial change in abomasal volume as did suckling, but delayed the rate of OES delivery to the small intestine. Our results suggest that suckling a low-glucose OES provides the fastest rate of abomasal emptying and plasma volume expansion, whereas a high-glucose OES provides the most appropriate oral solution for treating hypoglycemic calves.

The digital Brix refractometer and the digital refractometer provide accurate and clinically useful methods for identifying dairy calves with FTPI. In this study, the excellent performance of the Brix refractometer was likely due to the use of a fixed sample volume (200 μL) and a uniform sample temperature at the time of measurement.