Abstract
Calf diarrhea caused by infectious and non infectious factors is a commonly reported disease in young animals, and still a major cause of productivity and economic loss to cattle producers worldwide. The bovine placenta does not permit the passive transfer of antibody to the fetus. Thus, calves are born hypogammaglobulinemic, and consumption of colostrum is required to provide passive immunity until the immune system of the calf matures. Additionally, mean time to gut closure in calves occurs approximately 24 h after birth for IgG, IgA, and IgM. If calves do not ingest a sufficient mass of Ig prior to cessation of macromolecular transport, morbidity and mortality may increase. New techniques are needed to provide Ig to hypogammaglobulinemic calves after cessation of macromolecular transport by the intestinal epithelia. Once the period of intestinal permeability to immunoglobulin molecules has passed, passive immunity can be provided through parenteral injections. In this article, our objective is to review the effects of colostrum whey injections on prevention of diarrhea as well as health and growth performance in calves.