Risk factors during prepartum and their effect on calf health

Prepartum period has a lot of influence on the health and production of both the cow and the calf. A number of environmental and nutritional factors have a part to play in the metabolic status of the dam, its immune system response, and colostrum quality, which in turn will influence health parameters of the offspring. One of the main environmental factors, increasing in importance and severity nowadays, would be heat stress that a preparturient dam experiences. A number of scientific papers show that this factor not only has a sudden and severe effect on the cow and reduces the newborns weight and health status but might also have a long-term effect on the future productivity of the offspring. Nutrition and the metabolic status of the cow during prepartum influences the metabolism of the cow for the upcoming lactation and the health status of the calf. Fatty acid synthesis, quality and quantity modifies certain pathways responsible for the immune response, biosynthesis in the liver and on the mammary gland, especially for the production of the colostrum. A dam, with a compromised metabolism, usually will have an imbalance of fatty acids, which will also be mirrored in the colostrum quality. Not only might the colostrum quality have an impact on the health status of the calf, but the offspring’s metabolism is already at risk of being affected in the uterus during development. Therefore, the prepartum period should be further closely studied and better prophylaxis and wellbeing for the dams should be provided in order to ensure a better health status not only for the cow, but for the ofspring as well. In doing so, future generations of cattle have a better chance of reaching their predisposed potential and the animals have a better chance of surviving for more lactations.