CLINICAL, HEMATOLOGICAL, METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE TRAITS DURING THE FIRST 3 MONTHS OF LIFE OF SUCKLING SIMMENTALER CALVES HELD IN A COW-CALFOPERATION

Newborn suckling Simmentaler calves (10 males and 9 females) in a cow- calf operation were examined from birth up to the age of 3 months. The average daily gain from 47 to 120 kg was 0.86 kg. Except for higher a verage daily weight gains and insulin-like growth factor-1 concentrati ons and lower thyroid hormone levels in male than female calves, there were no significant se,: differences. Plasma glucose, total protein a nd immunoglobulin G concentrations increased on day 1 of life thromboc yte number and plasma triglyceride concentrations rose during the firs t 7 days, whereas lymphocyte and monocyte percentage and plasma inorga nic phosphorus, phospholipid, cholesterol and albumin concentrations i ncreased during the first 14 or 21 days and then remained elevated. Eo sinophil percentage increased after 3 weeks and insulin-like growth fa ctor-I concentrations increased over the whole growth period. There we re transient elevations of plasma glucagon concentrations up to day 14 , of the activity of alkaline phosphatase transiently up to day 7 and of gamma-glutamyltransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and lactate d ehydrogenase activities on dar 1 of life. Plasma iron concentration tr ansiently decreased up to day 28 and creatine kinase activity up to da y 7. Total white blood cell number, neutrophil percentage, packed cell volume and concentrations of haemoglobin, calcium, magnesium (after a transient rise on day 1), non-esterified fatty acids, bilirubin, crea tinine, triiodothyronine and thyroxine decreased from birth up to days 42, 56, 28, 28, 21, 84, 14, 14, 7, 14 and 7, respectively. Basophil p ercentage and concentrations of beta-hydroxybutyrate, urea and insulin did not exhibit significant age-dependent changes. The behaviour of m ost traits in the first weeks was the same in suckling calves under st udy as in non-suckling pre-ruminant calves. However, packed cell volum e, red blood cell number, haemoglobin and plasma iron concentrations w ere higher, whereas glucose and insulin concentrations were lower than normally found in veal calves. On the other hand, concentrations of g lucose, insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I in suckling calves in the third month of age were higher than can normally be measured in b reeding calves.