Comparison of Oral and Intravenous Fluid Therapy in Neonatal Calves with Experimental Colibacillosis

Abstract

Oral fluid therapy and intravenous fluid therapy have been appled to treat severe diarrhea in calves. In terms of severity of cases, calves that are dehydrated and depressed but not yet shocky represent a grey area. Will oral fluids be utilized adequately or must therapy be more aggressive? These questions prompted our study comparing oral and intravenous therapy in experimentally produced diarrhea.

Our experimental results indicate that severe, acute diarrhea was produced in 22 of 25 calves by oral inoculation of a broth culture of E. coli. Those calves receiving IV fluid therapy at the onset of diarrhea had the least deviations from normal blood chemistry values and all survived. Those receiving delayed IV therapy had minor abnormalities in blood chemistry values and also all survived. Those calves receiving oral therapy beginning at the onset of diarrhea developed moderate acidosis, hyperkalemia and hyponatremia; they had a cumulative 57% mortality by the end of the maintenance period. Calves orally rehydrated when 8% of body weight had been lost as diarrheic stool developed severe acidosis, hemoconcentration and hyperkalemia; all calves in this group died within 18 hr of the onset of diarrhea.