Oral meloxicam given as an ancillary treatment at respiratory disease diagnosis was not associated with growth, clinical scores, or ultrasound scores in preweaned dairy calves.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of a single dose of oral meloxicam as an ancillary therapy to an antibiotic given at the time of respiratory disease identification on average daily gain (ADG), behavioral attitude, clinical respiratory, and lung ultrasound scores in preweaned dairy calves. Animals: 215 male and female Holstein, Jersey, and crossbred preweaned calves enrolled between 1 and 14 days of age at study enrollment on a single commercial dairy in the western US. Methods: The study took place from March 4, 2021, to November 21, 2021. In this double-blind placebo-controlled study, calves were given an antibiotic (1.1 mL of tulathromycin/kg, SC, once) and either a placebo (1 mg of lactose monohydrate/kg, in a gelatin capsule) or oral meloxicam (1 mg/kg) at the time of respiratory disease identification. Behavioral attitude, clinical respiratory, and lung ultrasound scores and ADG were assessed in preweaned dairy calves at different time points including the next health examination, 1 week later, or at weaning. Results: There was no association between treatment (placebo vs meloxicam) on ADG or respiratory disease status at weaning (P > .05). There was no effect of treatment on behavioral attitude, clinical respiratory, or lung ultrasound scores at the next health examination or 1 week later (P > .05). Clinical Relevance: The present study did not provide evidence that oral meloxicam given once is beneficial for growth, behavioral attitude, or clinical or lung ultrasound scores.

Assessing the effect of case-based teaching compared with lecture-based teaching on students' knowledge and perceptions in a senior undergraduate dairy cattle management course.

Animal science students need to apply the knowledge acquired during their degree program to real-life scenarios in future careers. Little to no research exists evaluating the effects of case-based (CB; material presented as a case study) and lecture-based (LB; material presented as a lecture) teaching in animal science in higher education. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of CB and LB teaching methods on student performance and to assess students' attitudes toward CB and LB teaching methods in a senior dairy cattle management course. A cross-over study design was conducted over two course modules (1 = "calf health" and 2 = "lameness") with a washout period of 2 wk. Students (n = 25) were randomly assigned to CB or to LB in module 1 and received the other method in module 2. Students completed a pre- and post-quiz in each module that consisted of 10 multiple-choice questions and 3 short-answer questions. Three separate linear mixed regression models were used to assess the effect of teaching method (CB or LB; predictor) on three different continuous outcomes for student performance: change (post-score - pre-score) in short-answer quiz scores, change in multiple-choice quiz scores, and the change in total quiz scores. Students completed an attitude assessment after each module that consisted of 8 Likert-scale statements and 2 free-response questions. Data were deidentified, and two researchers blinded to students' CB or LB status analyzed free responses to identify themes. A logistic regression, which controlled for module and included student as a repeated measure, was used to determine if the proportion of students who agreed (outcome: yes/no) with each Likert-scale statement was different between CB and LB. There was a tendency for CB teaching methods to improve change in multiple-choice quiz scores (P = 0.06). The change in total quiz scores and the change in short-answer quiz scores did not differ between CB and LB groups (P > 0.1). For the survey statements "I enjoyed the teaching method used in this module" and "I wish this teaching method was utilized in more of my classes," more students in LB agreed than in CB (P < 0.05). The themes preference, perceived benefits, and perceived drawbacks were mentioned in 80%, 44%, and 28% of CB comments, and in 84%, 40%, and 18% of LB comments, respectively, and suggest that students enjoy case studies but prefer to receive information via lecture first.