Good hygiene, navel dipping help prevent navel ill

What is a navel infection?

In unborn calves, the navel cord, more commonly known as the umbilical cord, is a hollow tube in the belly that provides direct access to the abdominal cavity and liver. After birth, the navel cavity remains wet for several days, becoming an easy entrance for bacteria and the perfect breeding ground for a bacterial infection to develop.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a common cause of navel infections. These infections can result in adverse health outcomes, including:

Peritonitis – An infection within the abdominal cavity itself
Arthritis – Abscesses inside the joints can cause arthritis, even in young calves
Meningitis – An infection of the central nervous system

Once bacteria enter the navel, the umbilical infection can spread to nearby body parts. Left untreated, the E. coli bacteria can reach the bloodstream, causing septicemia, a potentially fatal disease.

What causes a navel infection?

There are many causes of navel infections; the most common include:

Poor hygiene – Exposure to dirty calving areas or repeated touching of the navel during weighing can increase the risk of infection.
Weak calves – Weak calves are more susceptible to developing navel infections. This can be due to prolonged calving or a malnourished mother.
Difficult births – When calves are born backward or through a cesarean section (c-section), the navel can be cut short. Short navels predispose calves to navel infections.
Inadequate colostral intake

What are best practices to prevent a navel infection?

To negate navel infections and ensure healthy calves and livestock that can grow to their full potential, consider these preventative measures:

Ensure proper hygiene. Proper hygiene before, during, and after birth is critical to preventing navel infections. To that end, here are a few calving hygiene tips:
- Ideally, calve on well-drained pastures to decrease exposure to disease-causing germs
- Replace wood chips with clean bedding and straw
- Disinfect the calving area and instruments, including calf pullers, chains, and slings
- Wear disposable latex or nitrile gloves during the calving process
Seek professional assistance for difficult births. Once contractions are evident, the calf should be delivered within the next two hours.
Utilize navel dip. Especially if a calf is born in a drylot or other unsanitary area, or if assisted. Navel dipping is among the most popular prevention measure for navel infection. Iodine-free navel dip options can be effective alternatives to 7% tincture of iodine. A clinical study through Auburn University found that compared to traditional iodine solutions, the Super 7+ Navel Dip from Innovacyn offered faster dry-down times, lower costs, no irritation, and no infections within the 100 female neonatal calves studied.¹

Why is it better to prevent versus treat?

If you suspect a navel infection has occurred, or complications during the birthing process could have resulted in bacteria entering the navel cavity, stay vigilant. Navel ill occurs shortly after birth and must be treated quickly. If the infection gets into the bloodstream and spreads throughout the body, it can lead to joint-ill: inflammation and/or arthritis of the calf’s joints (the most common site for bacteria to settle).

Navel ill can lead to a number of other health issues, some with similar signs to other diseases. Often a veterinarian must examine the calf or calves involved to diagnose. It’s much better to prevent navel ill through good newborn calf management versus incur production losses and high treatment costs for affected calves.

Naval infections under-diagnosed in dairy calves

In a recent article published on BovineVetOnline.com, umbilical infection is one of the top three disease issues of young dairy calves based on the research and North American dairy farms experience of bovine veterinarians Dave Renaud and Matthias Wieland. Diarrhea and pneumonia hold the top spots.

The article says that Renaud, a veterinarian and researcher with Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, considers navel infections to be the most under-diagnosed disease issue in dairy calves in Canada, particularly in the first two weeks of life.

This issue often escapes detection and treatment because its symptoms are not readily seen — the umbilicus needs felt and palpated to determine if it’s enlarged, which indicates infection. According to this article, if a calf is pulled aside for evaluation, even if it’s routine, Renaud encourages veterinarians and producers to check the umbilicus as part of their total calf care process.

“Umbilical infections have serious repercussions – increased risk of mortality, reduced survival through first lactation, and reduced rate of gain,” he says.

Read the article, A disease you don’t think about is taking a health toll on dairy calves, and best management practices these veterinarians offer for umbilical infections and identification at bovinevetonline.com/news/education/disease-you-dont-think-about-taking-health-toll-dairy-calves.