Ultrassonographic avaliation of the inflamed umbilical structures in Holstein calves during their first 30 days of life

Abstract:

Umbilical disorders deserve mention among the illnesses affecting calves in the first month of life. The high incidence during this phase of life of newborns and relevant economic losses arising from mortality, cost of treatment and veterinary care, beyond sequelae may determine lower weight gain and milk production. The diagnosis of these diseases is often hampered by the difficulty to detect the involvement of intra-abdominal umbilical structures, which negatively affect the choice of the most appropriate treatment and the actual outcome for each calf. In the present study, we performed ultrasound examinations of calves with inflammation/infection in the umbilical components and observed some characteristics related with measurements and echogenicity present in umbilical affected components. From these evaluation it was concluded that the wall thickness of the umbilical vessels is the more reliable standard to determine changes in these components, as compared with that of the diameter of the umbilical vessels. Furthermore, from this study we observed some peculiarities of involution of the intra-abdominal umbilical cord components in healthy Holstein calves used for the control group to characterize the behavior of the umbilical structures during the progress of the age in the newborns. It is noteworthy that the comparison of these results with those found in the rare literature available showed notable differences.

Index Terms:
Navel illness; ultrasound; newborn calves; Holstein; measurement