Risk factors for morbidity in 1- to 9-day-old dairy calves following caustic paste disbudding

Graphical Abstract Summary: Calfhood morbidity is an important issue in the dairy industry, with substantial production and welfare impacts. The objective of this study was to evaluate potential risk factors for adverse health events in dairy calves following caustic paste disbudding. Our results indicated that calves with higher serum total protein concentrations were less likely to develop an illness in their first week of life compared with calves with lower values, and that increased haptoglobin concentrations were associated with diarrhea and sickness occurrence. Disbudding itself or various pain control treatments were not identified as risk factors for the development of illness.

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