Effects of Vitamin E and Selenium on Bovine Postpartum and Neonatal diseases

Aim of research – to determine Vitamin E and selenium influence on welness and new disease cases of cows and calves at the first month after calving, using a single dose 20,0 mg of sodium selenite and 1000,0 mg α-tocopherol acetate containing emulsion as prophylaxis at dry off. Materials and methods. The reasearch was carried out on August-December of 2015. Cows of the 2nd-4th lactation, producing 6-8 tonnes of milk on the last lactation, predicted calving on October – November, with similar illness records were selected using this criteria: same lactation count, diference between production on the last lactation less than 300 litres, illness records – 1 same disease and no more than 2 total diseases. Using this principal these cows were divided into two groups (1st – supplemented, 2nd – control), each containing 45 Lithuanian White and Black Holstenised dairy cows. 20,0 mg sodium selenite and 1000,0 mg α-tocopherol acetate containing emulsion was injected s.c. for supplemented group, and for control – 10,0 ml of physiological solution. Since dry off until the end of the research 9 cows of 1st group and 8 from 2nd group were culled. For this reason 36 and 37 cows are described in statistics. 10 cows were chosen randomly from each group. 4 blood tests were taken on 1st, 7th, 14th, 21st post partum day (total 80 samples) to conduct morphological blood tests and assess their parameters. All calves which were given maternal colostrum were divided to disease analysis groups (39 and 38 calfs accordingly). Blood samples were taken randomly in each group, 24 - 72 hours after birth. 1st group consisted of 37, 2nd – 34 calves. Blood tests conducted for hematocrit resulted in 1 anemic calf, which was removed from the research. This way 37 calves remained in 1st group and 33 in 2nd. Blood from remaining calves was aditionally tested for total proteins to measure the intake level from colostrum. During first 30days after calving, cows and calves, which reseived maternal colostrum, were examined for new diseases. Data was analysed comparing groups by blood tests and appearance of new cases of cow diseases (endometritis, retained placenta and mastitis) and calf diseases (omphalitis, pneumonia, diarrhea causing diseases, white muscle disease). Main results and conclusions. Assess of diseases determined that cows, which were treated with vitamin E and selenium, had higher risk for retained placenta (RR=2,06, p>0,05), the same risk for endometritis (RR=1,03; p>0,05) and lower risk for mastitis (RR=0,59; p>0,05), compared to the control group. Blood test results showed perspective results for future research. They reflect cow neutrophil immunosupression in the control group at post partum, when changes in count of various immune cells are minimal. At the same time in the supplemented group higher neutrophil activity can be observed. Due to improved migration, neutrophil count in blood had decreased through the first week, after that, like other parameters – leucocyte and limphocyte count was rising through all period of observations. Analysis of calf illnesess showed that the supplemented group had lower relative risks compared to the control group for diarrhea causing diseases (RR=0,78; p>0,05), pneumonia (RR=0,8; p>0,05), omphalitis (RR=0,97; p>0,05). Differences appointed in these observations could approve the decrease in calf disease cases, but more research is needed. Total protein parameters in calves are assesed by percentages of total diluted content in fluids (Brix%), which were measured on digital refractometer. Averages of Brix% were 9,2% (p>0,05) in supplemented and 9,0% (p>0,05) in control groups. After recalculation of Brix% to total proteins , 6,5 g/dl (p>0,05) of total protein average was detected in both groups. There was no noticable Vitamin E and selenium injection influence on protein intake from colostrum. Our research showed preliminary vitamin E and selenium influence to health of cows and calves, but more research on other influence mechanisms of these substances are needed