Prognosis of diarrhoea in the newborn calf: statistical analysis of blood biochemical data.

Blood samples were taken from 55 diarrhoeic calves (neo-natal diarrhoea) at the time of the first therapeutic intervention. Eleven blood parameters were measured in these samples. The whole group of measurements were analysed by their principal components (tables 3 and 4). The results are expressed in visual form by Figures 1 and 2. The first principal axis corresponds to the acid-base balance while the second axis can be considered as corresponding to the catabolism. The discriminant analysis (table 5) shows that the parameter having the best prognosis value is the blood urea concentration. By adding two other easily measured parameters (the haematocrit and the blood chloride concentration) the probability of classifying correctly the calves into one or other of the groups dead or surviving is approximately 80%.

Effect of intravenous infusion of glucose and/or fructose on the composition of blood plasma and the clinical response of the calf.

Intravenous infusions of glucose (0.4 g/kg) or glucose (0.4 g/kg) + fructose (usually 1 g/kg) to calves were followed by various clinical reactions from absence of reaction up to death of a few calves. Fructosemia. After fructose + glucose infusion, the blood fructose concentration reached a level inferior to the highest value observed after only glucose infusion, except in the calves dead after the perfusion and in the newly-born calves (the initial fructose concentration was not nil). Glycaemia. In any case, fructose associated with glucose, did not eliminate the rebound of hypoglycaemia following usually a perfusion of glucose. In calves where the death occurred, the hypoglycaemia was specially marked.