Thus, supplemental vitamins A, D 3, and E may benefit the neonatal calf. Pasteurized whole milk may satisfy the nutritional requirement for vitamin A in healthy, milk-fed calves, but animals experiencing inflammation have exhibited decreased serum retinol and retinol binding protein ( Rosales et al., 1996 Krueger et al., 2014). Pasteurized whole milk contains approximately 38.4 and 1.8 IU/L of vitamins D 3 and E, respectively, falling short of recommended daily allowances (582 and 26.5 IU, respectively) for neonatal calves ( NRC, 2001 Krueger et al., 2014). Suggested mechanisms by which vitamin A and D 3 metabolites affect growth and immunity include the targeting of nuclear receptors to affect cell differentiation, tissue development, and immune cell signaling ( Hall et al., 2011 Nelson et al., 2012 Rhinn and Dollé, 2012), whereas vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects cell membrane unsaturated fatty acids from oxidative processes such as respiration and inflammation ( Traber and Atkinson, 2007). Recent literature, however, has suggested that PWM alone does not meet the vitamin A, D 3, and E nutritional requirements of young calves and that these requirements are increased by increased growth rates and immune challenge ( Krueger et al., 2014 Nonnecke et al., 2014). Pasteurized whole milk ( PWM) is a common component in calf diets on commercial dairy farms in the United States, as producers seek to capture losses from waste milk. Results demonstrated passive transfer of haptoglobin to neonatal calves, and potential health benefits of supplemental vitamins D 3 and E to calves fed pasteurized whole milk. paratuberculosis was negligible and was not affected by colostrum feeding or vitamin supplementation. Colonization of tissues with Mycobacterium avium ssp. Further, vitamin D 3 deficiency was observed in CD and CR calves fed a basal diet of pasteurized whole milk and no supplemental vitamins.
Interestingly, synergistic effects of supplemental vitamins A, D 3, and E on serum 25-(OH)-vitamin D were observed at d 7, resulting in higher levels than in calves administered vitamin D only.
Serum vitamin levels of A, D, and E increased within treatment group by d 7 and 14 of the study. The CR-fed calves were 2.5 times less likely to develop scours, and CR calves supplemented with vitamins D 3 and E also demonstrated a decreased incidence of scours. Calves fed CR acquired IgG 1 and haptoglobin in serum within 24 h of birth, whereas CD calves did not. All calves were inoculated with Mycobacterium avium ssp. From d 1 through d 14 of the study, all calves were fed pasteurized whole milk (PWM) supplemented with vitamins as assigned.
Calves were fed pasteurized whole milk (CD) or fractionated colostrum replacer (CR) at birth (d 0) and injected with vitamins according to treatment group.
Thirty Holstein calves were obtained from 2 dairy farms in central Iowa at birth and randomly assigned to 1 of 6 treatment groups: (1) colostrum deprived (CD), no vitamins (2) colostrum replacer (CR), no vitamins (3) CR, vitamin A (4) CR, vitamin D 3 (5) CR, vitamin E and (6) CR, vitamins A, D 3, E, with 5 calves per treatment in a 14-d study.