Hematological changes in anemic dairy calves treated with a hematinic complex

Vet World Vol.18 April-2025 Article - 24

Research Article

Veterinary World, 18(4): 994-1001

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2025.994-1001

Roberto Gonzlez-Garduo¹, Fleider Leiser Pea-Escalona², Roco Hernndez-Daz³, Carlos Luna-Palomera⁴, Ema de Jess Maldonado-Siman⁵, Ever del Jesus Flores-Santiago¹, and Alfonso J Chay-Canul⁴

1. South-Southeast Regional University Unit, Autonomous University of Chapingo, Teapa, Tabasco, Mexico.

2. Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Management, Polytechnic University of Texcoco, Estado de Mexico. Mexico.

3. Department of Engineering, Technological Institute of the Altiplano of Tlaxcala, National Technology of Mexico, San Diego, Xocoyucan, Tlaxcala, Mexico.

4. Academic Division of Agricultural Sciences, Juarez Autonomous University of Tabasco, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico.

5. Postgraduate in Animal Production, Autonomous University of Chapingo, Texcoco, Estado de Mexico. Mexico.

Background and Aim: Weaning is a critical period in calf development, particularly under tropical conditions where nutritional stress and parasitic infestations can precipitate anemia. Anemia compromises growth and survival; yet, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of hematinic therapy in anemic calves before weaning in tropical systems. This study aimed to assess hematological responses in anemic dairy calves treated with a hematinic complex and to establish anemia thresholds based on hematological indices in healthy calves raised under tropical conditions.

Materials and Methods: A total of 22 Holstein × Zebu calves were studied from January to April 2024 in Tabasco, Mexico. Calves were grouped as healthy (n = 10; hematocrit [HCT] >24%) or anemic (n = 12; HCT <24%). The anemic group received an intramuscular hematinic complex for 5 consecutive days and three additional doses at day 42. Hematological parameters were measured every 21 days using an automated analyzer. Anemia thresholds were defined from the healthy group using mean ± 2 standard deviations. Data were analyzed using a repeated-measures design over time.

Results: Anemia thresholds were determined as HCT <21.3%, hemoglobin (HGB) <7.5 g/dL, and red blood cell (RBC) <5.4 × 106/μL. At baseline, anemic calves exhibited significantly lower HCT (21.4%), HGB (6.9 g/dL), and RBC (5.9 × 106/μL) compared to healthy controls (p < 0.01). Three calves presented with microcytic hypochromic anemia and one with macrocytic anemia. By day 42, hematinic-treated calves surpassed the anemia threshold, reaching an HCT of 25%, and further increased to 30% following the second treatment. HGB and RBC levels also improved, showing no significant differences from healthy calves at study end. Males responded more robustly to treatment than females.

Conclusion: The administration of a hematinic complex effectively restored hematological parameters in anemic calves within 42 days, with sustained improvement following a second application. This intervention is recommended as part of pre-weaning health protocols to mitigate anemia-related growth setbacks in tropical cattle systems.

Keywords: anemia, calves, haematocrit, haemoglobin, hematinic complex, red blood cells, tropical cattle systems.

How to cite this article: González-Garduño R, Peña-Escalona FL, Hernández-Díaz R, Luna-Palomera C, Maldonado-Siman EJ, Flores-Santiago EJ, and Chay-Canul AJ. (2025) Hematological changes in anemic dairy calves treated with a hematinic complex, Veterinary World, 18(4): 994-1001.

Received: 07-01-2025 Accepted: 19-03-2025 Published online: 25-04-2025

Corresponding author: Roberto González-Garduño E-mail: rgonzalezg@chapingo.mx

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.994-1001

Copyright: González-Garduño, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.