The use of enrofloxacin-alginate gel to prevent newborn calves’ navels infection

Abstract

A trial was conducted with 414 newborn calves randomly divided by risk-blocks of developing omphalitis or omphalophlebitis: low; medium, and high. The treatments were applied by stump-dipping daily for three days, with either iodine-polyvinylpyrrolidone (I-PVP) (η = 205), or with an alginate gel containing 0.5% enrofloxacin hydrochloride dehydrate (enro-C) (enro-C/alginate gel) (η = 209). Results showed that only one death occurred in the enro-C/alginate gel group, and it was attributable to internal hemorrhage not linked with the treatment. On day 4 6 other cases were recorded as stump fibrosis, but regarded as inconsequential. In the I-PVP group, 44 calves developed cord infection and were considered treatment failures (13 high-risk; 11 medium-risk, and 20 low-risk) (P < 0.05 in the three risk grades). The umbilical stump involution was evident in the enro-C-alginate on day one as most stumps were noticeably dried. Stump detachment occurred on day 29.74 ± 0.79 SD and the umbilical scars did not present infection in any case. In contrast, in the remaining calves of the group treated with I-PVP, stump drying was observable after 72 h, and they detached at a mean of 32.9 ± 3.1 SD days (P < 0.05). In stumps treatment with enro-C-alginate, dirt stuck less, and the gel formed an apparently protecting layer around the umbilical scar when stump was wither absent or too short. These results show that calcium alginates as prepared with enro-C is a successful preventive treatment that allowed rapid umbilical stump involution in newborn calves.