Efficacy evaluations of the use of oral tilmicosin in pneumonic calves

The therapeutic effect of oral tilmicosin was compared with enrofloxacin, a nd the efficacy of three doses of the drug was examined in two fully random ized blinded field trials. Pneumonic milk-Fed calves between 3 days and 2.5 months of age were allocated into two groups in trial 1 (50 animals) and i nto three groups in trial 2 (69 calves). In the first trial, the animals we re treated with 25 mg/kg/day tilmicosin or 2.5 mg/kg/day enrofloxacin in mi lk for 5 days. In the second trial, the calves received either 25 mg/kg/day tilmicosin for 5 days or 3 days, or else 12.5 mg/kg tilmicosin far 5 days. All calves were clinically examined for 10 days, In the first trial, oral tilmicosin at a dose of 25 mg/kg/day for 5 days proved to be effective for the treatment of endemic pasteurellosis of milk-fed calves. The efficacy wa s the same as that of enrofloxacin. All three doses in the second trial wer e effective and were statistically equivalent to the original dose tested. (C) 2000 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.