The effect of meloxicam on neonatal dairy calves: Immunoglobulin G uptake and preweaning performance

Abstract

Objectives of this study were to determine effects of meloxicam administered in 2 forms on IgG uptake, growth, and health of preweaned calves. Sixteen Holstein bulls and 14 heifers with a body weight (BW) of 44.3 ± 5.24 kg were blocked by birth date in a randomized complete block design. Calves were removed from the dam before suckling, weighed, and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: (1) colostrum replacer (CR) at 0 h with no meloxicam (control; CON), (2) 1 mg/kg of BW of meloxicam in pill form before CR (PL), or (3) 1 mg/kg of BW of meloxicam mixed in solution with CR (SL). Calves were fed 675 g of dry matter of CR, providing a volume of 3 L and 180 g of IgG. Blood samples were collected at 0 h to analyze initial IgG and ketone concentrations, and at 6, 12, 18, and 24 h to analyze IgG uptake. At 24 h, calves were fed 432 g of dry matter of 24% crude protein milk replacer (MR) split in 2 feedings, and free choice starter and water until 42 d. Weekly blood samples were analyzed for glucose, plasma urea nitrogen, and ketone concentrations. Time of consumption of MR, BW, length, hip and withers height, and heart girth were recorded weekly. All calves achieved adequate transfer of immunity. Meloxicam did not affect apparent efficiency of absorption, serum total protein, or IgG uptake at 6, 18, and 24 h; however, meloxicam-treated calves had lesser IgG concentrations at 12 h (24.40 and 22.59 g/L for PL and SL, respectively) compared with CON (28.47 g/L). Meloxicam treatment did not affect BW. Calves that received PL tended to gain length at a faster rate (0.24 cm/d) than those that received SL (0.19 cm/d). Meloxicam treatment did not affect MR intake, time of consumption of MR, total dry matter intake, or feed efficiency. Meloxicam-treated calves tended to consume more starter (560.4 and 515.4 g/d for PL and SL, respectively) than those that received CON (452.6 g/d). Ketone levels tended to be greater in meloxicam-treated calves (0.15 and 0.17 mmol/L for PL and SL, respectively), suggesting improved rumen development compared with those that received CON (0.12 mmol/L). Meloxicam treatment did not affect plasma urea nitrogen . Glucose concentrations of calves that received PL (73.2 mg/dL) were less than those that received SL (83.3 mg/dL). Results of this study suggest that meloxicam given at 0 h offers positive effects on starter intake, and possibly rumen development, of preweaned dairy calves. Treatment PL, as compared with SL, offered positive results for rumen development, indicated by lower blood glucose levels.

Effect of a single meloxicam administration on newborn Holstein–Friesian dystocia calves: Field results from the first 10 days of life

“…In this context, pain management and the use of NSAIDs are becoming increasingly important [ 2 - 8 ]. Birth pains are one of the most intense pains [ 9 , 10 ].…”

“…Nevertheless, no objective statements can be made in practice regarding the effects of NSAIDs on calves after birth. There are only five scientific studies [ 15 - 19 ] that mentioned the clinical effects of NSAIDs on newborn calves, stating that its use led to positive effects on performance and health parameters [ 8 ]. Todd et al .…”

Repeated ultrasound‐guided saphenous and sciatic nerve block in a calf with tibial comminuted fracture undergoing surgical stabilisation

“…Meloxicam as a single 0.5 mg/kg dose is licensed for calves more than 1 week of age. However, there are few studies of meloxicam administration in the neonatal calf, 17,18 considering the age of our patient and the potential injury in his undeveloped systems, the dose was lowered to 0.2 mg/kg intravenously. Parenteral route was preferred over oral administration due to differences in bioavailability and half‐life between both routes of administration 19,20 …”

Use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs at calving

“…Few studies have investigated the effects of post-birth analgesic treatment of newborn calves; however, the available data suggest that NSAIDs show promise as an additional tool for improving calf health and welfare. Post-birth meloxicam treatment has been associated with increased vigour (Murray et al, 2016), improved feed consumption (Murray et al, 2016;Clark et al, 2020), and improved early-life growth rate (Pearson et al, 2019). Similarly, ketoprofen administration immediately after birth was associated with increased engagement in behaviours consistent with improved welfare (Gladden et al, 2019).…”