EFFECTS OF COLD STRESS ON NEONATAL CALVES .1. CLINICAL CONDITION AND PATHOLOGICAL LESIONS

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 44  (1) , 11-18
Abstract
Newborn Holstein-Friesian calves were cold-stressed by immersion in water at 15-17.degree. C until the core body temperature was lowered at 10.degree. C. Non-cold stressed calves were immersed in water at thermoneutral temperature (35-37.degree. C). The time required to lower the core body temperature of the cold stressed calves by 10.degree. C was 172 .+-. 87 min. The time required for the core body temperature of the cold stressed calves to return to normal after immersion was 400 .+-. 140 min. Differences were observed between cold- and noncold-stressed calves in the shivering response during immersion and the clinical condition after immersion. Cold-induced pathological lesions were confined to tissues located peripherally, particularly in the hind legs. Significant differences were observed between cold- and noncold-stressed calves in the incidence of subcutaneous edema in the ventral sternum (P .ltoreq. 0.025), subcutaneous hemorrhage in the hind legs (P .ltoreq. 0.025), synovitis (P .ltoreq. 0.025) and hemorrhage (P .ltoreq. 0.05) of the synovial membranes of the hock joints and hemorrhage (P .ltoreq. 0.05) into the hock joint cavities. The similarities between the clinical observations and pathological lesions currently observed and those reported for cold stress in newborn [human] infants and the weak calf syndrome are discussed.