Risk factors for omphalitis in neonatal dairy calves

Kim K. Meier, Annegret Stock, Roswitha Merle, Heidi Arndt, Linda Dachrodt, Martina Hoedemaker, Laura Kellermann, Gabriela Knubben-Schweizer, Maria Volkmann and Kerstin-Elisabeth Müller
Frontiers in Veterinary Science, (2024) 11:1480851, doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1480851. Impact Factor: 2,6.

---

In recent years, umbilical infections (UI) in calves came gradually more into focus. Since UI may have negative effects on calf’s health and welfare, the aim of farmers and veterinarians should be to prevent them. Studies investigating risk factors for UI or the efficiency of naveldisinfection, however, often lack large study populations from different farms.

In this study, a large number of dairy calves and farms from different German regions were included, giving the opportunity to investigate almost 100 different possible influence factorsof UI. Determined risk factors for UI were the dampness of the lying area in the first days of life and the body condition of the dam after calving. Furthermore, the discrepancy betweencalves treated for UI on the farms (median: 4.5%) and calves diagnosed with UI during one farm visit (median: 25.0%) became clear.

These results highlight the complexity of multifactorial diseases such as UI. The high numberof included factors can be used to identify those crucial to the development of UI, to perform studies in which those factors and their influence can be investigated more thoroughly. Furthermore, the evidence presented can help to establish guidelines for dairy farms toimprove their umbilical health.