Mortality, hepatopathy and liver copper concentrations in artificially reared Jersey calves before and after reductions in copper supplementation

High winter mortality (28 per cent) in female Jersey calves (80 IU/l in healthy females aged 3–24 weeks, and correlated with serum aspartate transaminase (AST). Copper supplementation of total mixed rations during lactation was excessive (40–60 mg added Cu/kg DM) and reduced to 16–28 mg Cu/kg, but s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Veterinary record 2013-01, Vol.172 (2), p.46-46
Main Authors: Hunter, A. G., Suttle, N., Martineau, H. M., Spence, M. A., Thomson, J. R., Macrae, A. I., Brown, S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena - drug effects
Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena - physiology
Animals
Animals, Newborn
Casualties
Cattle
Cattle Diseases - blood
Cattle Diseases - mortality
Cattle Diseases - pathology
Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury - blood
Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury - mortality
Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury - pathology
Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury - veterinary
Copper
Copper - administration & dosage
Copper - adverse effects
Coronaviruses
Dairy cattle
Diarrhea
Dietary supplements
Dietary Supplements - adverse effects
Feeds
Female
Glutamate Dehydrogenase - blood
Histopathology
Liver
Liver - drug effects
Liver - enzymology
Liver - metabolism
Liver - pathology
Male
Mortality
Mortality - trends
Poisoning
Rotavirus
Seasons
Viruses
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Summary:High winter mortality (28 per cent) in female Jersey calves (80 IU/l in healthy females aged 3–24 weeks, and correlated with serum aspartate transaminase (AST). Copper supplementation of total mixed rations during lactation was excessive (40–60 mg added Cu/kg DM) and reduced to 16–28 mg Cu/kg, but supplementation of milk replacer and creep feed (10 and 35 mg added Cu/kg DM, respectively) continued. The syndrome recurred two years later, and liver Cu remained high in casualties (13.6 ± 2.6) and culled cows (6.38 ± 2.38 mmol/kg DM) prompting withdrawal of all Cu supplements. Mortality remained low (6–9 per cent) thereafter. Three years after removal of all Cu supplements, six culled newborn were examined postmortem; five had normal liver Cu (4.5 ± 1.73), but a sixth had 11.65 mmol/kg DM. In live, healthy calves (1-6 months old) sampled at the same time, GLDH and AST increased with age to levels found five years earlier, indicating possible subclinical hepatopathy. Causative links between Cu supplementation, high calf mortality and hepatopathy are plausible, and reductions in Cu supplementation may prove beneficial in other dairy herds.
ISSN:0042-4900
2042-7670
DOI:10.1136/vr.101051