Current Approaches to the Care and Treatment of Premature Calves

Calf death is the most important problem of cattle breeding in the world and in our country. Calf losses are most intense in the perinatal and neonatal period. Premature birth remains an important and common cause of calf mortality in the world and Turkey. The most important cause of premature calf losses is lung development failure. In the case of surfactant deficiency that occurs as a result of lung development failure in premature calves, lung surface tension is not reduced, air filling in the lung cannot be achieved sufficiently, and thus respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) develops. RDS is the most important cause of death in premature calves. Premature calves are almost left to die due to reasons such as the fact that treatment and care of premature calves are difficult and the prognosis is poor. Due to the understanding that treatment and care of premature calves are difficult and their prognosis is poor, premature calves are almost left to die. However, it should be kept in mind that the survival rate of premature calves with correct treatment and good care can be quite high. In this review, our current and experiential knowledge about the correct treatment and good care of premature calves was shared with scientists and clinicians.