A randomised clinical trial of a metaphylactic treatment with tildipirosin for bovine respiratory disease in veal calves

Background Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a major problem in veal calf rearing units. The objective of this randomised clinical trial was to assess the effectiveness of tildipirosin as a metaphylactic treatment in veal calves on the number of BRD treatments, lung consolidation on thoracic ultrasonography (TUS) and average daily gain (ADG). A total of 209 veal calves from a pre-weaning fattening unit were randomly allocated to receive one of two treatments (tildipirosin 4 mg/kg, subcutaneously, n = 109; placebo 0.9% saline, subcutaneously, n = 100) at day 12 after entry in the pre-weaned unit. The calves were followed for a 70-day period. Occurrence of mortality and BRD treatments were recorded during the pre-weaning period. At days 1, 12 and 30, TUS and clinical scores were performed and ADG was measured during the first and second months of feeding.