A lot is asked of calves after they are born and, in many ways, the odds are stacked against them. They are born without a functional immune system which still has four to six weeks to fully develop on them. Instead, they are reliant on the passive transfer of antibodies across their intestine from their mother’s milk (colostrum) in the first six to eight hours of their life.
Theoretically, the calf’s intestine is capable of absorbing antibodies for up to 24 hours. However, the ability decreases rapidly in that time such that the first six to eight hours of a calf’s life are so important to the initial antibody protection they receive. This protection is their only immune support in the early weeks of life and is dependent on the quality of colostrum (how much antibody is present), how quickly it is fed (before the gut cannot absorb the antibodies) and the quantity (volume) as more colostrum means more antibodies, up to a point
We test for Failure of Passive Transfer (FPT) to see if calves are getting enough colostrum and if you find that they are not, you can rectify the errors to ensure that they do.
But what about calves that did not initially receive enough colostrum initially? What can we do to assist them?
Vetlife is proud to offer two exciting new products to support the immune system of young calves from Microbasics, a very successful American company that specialises in supporting calves in the rearing space. AgBiome, the New Zealand importer brings to market these two non-antibiotic natural products that support the young calf’s immune system from birth.
Sync Paste is a single dose product given to calves at birth to support the immune function and supplement colostrum that is being given. It comprises prebiotics, 10 strains of probiotics along with IgY (immunoglobulins) from whole egg powder to provide the calf with protective antibodies to fortify the colostrum protection and to protect the calf until its own immune system is fully functional. To absorb the antibodies correctly, it is critical to be given early in life, along with the first colostrum feed.
A liquid that can be added to milk, this product supports the calves that did not get adequate colostrum or have succumbed to scours. A complex combination of pre and probiotics, zinc methionine, yeast culture, egg proteins containing specific IgY antibodies to support calf health and natural ingredients to reduce inflammation and support calf wellbeing and overall health.
Surveillance Calf may be fed to calves in their milk or electrolytes at 15-30ml per calf per day upon receiving calves into the shed, at 6-10ml/calf/day in milk for overall gut development and disease prevention. Alternatively, it can be added to electrolytes of sick calves at 15ml/day. In addition, at stressful events such as weaning or feed changes, feeding Surveillance Calf as an oral drench of 20-30ml will also support calves.
If you are interested in discussing these products further for your rearing operation, please do not hesitate to contact your Vetlife veterinarian or field representative.
