The presented scoping review summarizes the available research evidence and identifies gaps in knowledge for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) prevention. Published literature on BRD from 1990 to April 2021 was searched in online databases, including Medline, CAB Abstracts, Scopus, Biosis, and Searchable Proceedings of Animal Conferences. Citations were systematically evaluated in a three-stage approach using commercial software and summarized in a scoping review format. A total of 265 publications were included in this review with herd/farm management (27.9%) as the most prevalent factors studied, followed by metaphylaxis (24.5%), vaccinations (24.1%), diet formulations, and nutritional supplementations (17.7%), animal characteristics (10.2%), and less common interventions and risk factors (6.4%). A high proportion of studies under herd/farm management (73%), metaphylaxis (86%), vaccinations (70%), animal characteristics (78%), and less common interventions and risk factors (59%) showed either significant effects on reducing BRD morbidity or significant differences of BRD between treatments. However, diet and nutritional supplementations reduced BRD only in 30% of research publications. Most studies on BRD were performed in feedlot populations, and more studies in cow–calf populations are needed. We further suggest meta-analyses on the use of yeast and trace mineral supplementation, and nitric oxide-releasing solution for BRD prevention.

Prebiotic supplementation has been studied as a means to enhance growth and health in dairy calves; however, results seem to be inconsistent across studies. The first objective of the future review is to identify, summarize, appraise, and discuss the current literature on the prebiotic supplementation for dairy calves. The second objective is to evaluate the effect of prebiotic supplementation on growth and health of dairy calves. Eligible studies will be non-randomized and randomized controlled trials in English, Spanish, or Portuguese that examined the supplementation of prebiotics to dairy calves (up to 6 months of age) and reported growth or health outcomes. The main growth outcomes will be average daily gain, feed efficiency, and main health outcomes will be fecal score and diarrhea incidence. A search will be conducted in Biosis, CAB Abstracts, Medline, Scopus, and the Dissertations and Theses Database with the support of a UC Davis librarian. Two reviewers independently will screen the titles and abstracts of retrieved studies. The screening of full manuscripts will be performed by one reviewer. The data extraction will be executed based on pre-tested forms. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool. If feasible, a random-effects meta-analysis will be conducted. Heterogeneity will be evaluated with I² statistic. If possible, publication bias will be investigated by using funnel plots, Begg’s adjusted rank correlation, and Egger’s test. The certainty of the evidence will be determined using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations) approach. The proposed review will contribute to the current knowledge on prebiotic supplementation for dairy calves; this information may guide management decision at the farm level and identify gaps of knowledge to be addressed in future research. The protocol is registered in Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/ar5g2/) and available in the Systematic Reviews for Animals and Food (http://www.syreaf.org/contact/).

Objective: To present evidence‐ and consensus‐based guidelines for resuscitation of newborn puppies and kittens.Design: Prioritized clinical questions pertaining to newborn resuscitation and in the Population–Intervention–Comparator–Outcome (PICO) format were used to inform systematic literature searches by information specialists, to extract research findings from relevant publications and synthesize them into evidence, to assess this evidence for quality, and, finally, to develop draft treatment recommendations. These steps were followed by a consensus process and a community commenting period prior to finalization of the project. These RECOVER Newborn Resuscitation Guidelines are a concise summary of the newborn resuscitation process to provide clear and actionable clinical instructions to veterinary professionals.Setting: Transdisciplinary, international collaboration in university, specialty, and emergency practice.Results: A total of 28 PICO questions pertaining to resuscitation of puppies and kittens at birth were addressed in this project. This resulted in 59 treatment recommendations that delineate an iterative approach to newborn resuscitation starting with airway clearance, tactile stimulation, and temperature control, as well as positive pressure ventilation, and instruct on more advanced measures such as CPR. An algorithm displays the flow of assessments and actions over the course of the resuscitation process.Conclusions: These RECOVER Newborn Resuscitation Guidelines present a concise and comprehensive framework for resuscitation of puppies and kittens at birth. These works serve to support veterinary professionals and breeders, educational systems, and research initiatives in conducting, implementing, and advancing newborn resuscitation in puppies and kittens.

Neonatal calves possess an immature and naïve immune system and are reliant on the intake of maternal colostrum for the passive transfer of immunoglobulins. Maternal antibodies delivered to the calf via colostrum, are crucial to prevent calfhood diseases and death. Failure of transfer of passive immunity (FTPI) is a condition in which calves do not acquire enough maternal antibodies, mostly in the form of IgG, due to inadequate colostrum quality or delayed colostrum feeding. The diagnosis and risk factors for FTPI have been widely studied in dairy cattle; however, in beef calves, the research interest in the topic is relatively recent, and the most adequate diagnostic and preventative methods are still in development, making it difficult to define recommendations for the assessment and prevention of FTPI in cow–calf operations. The objective of this scoping review is to identify the published literature on best practices for colostrum management and transfer of passive immunity (TPI) in neonatal beef calves. The literature was searched using three electronic databases (CAB Direct, Scopus, and PubMed) for publications from 2003 to 2025. The search process was performed during the period from May to July 2023, and was repeated in January 2025. All screening processes were performed using Covidence systematic review software (Veritas Health Innovation, Melbourne, Australia). A total of 800 studies were initially identified through database searches. After removing duplicates, 346 studies were screened based on their titles and abstracts, leading to the exclusion of 260 studies. The remaining 86 studies underwent full-text screening, and 58 studies were considered eligible for data extraction. Hand-searching the references from published review papers on the subject yielded an additional five studies, bringing the total to 63 included articles. The prevalence of FTPI has been estimated to be between 5.8% and 34.5% in beef calves. Factors studied related to colostrum management include quality and quantity of colostrum intake, the timing and method of colostrum feeding, and the microbial content of the colostrum. Studies on risk factors related to the calf include the topics calf sex, twin status, calf vigor, weight, month of birth, cortisol and epinephrine concentrations, and the administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to calves after difficult calving. The dam-related risk factors studied include dam body condition score and udder conformation, breed, parity, genetics, prepartum vaccinations and nutrition, calving area and difficulty, and the administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs at C-section. Most importantly for beef systems, calves with low vigor and a weak suckling reflex are at high risk for FTPI; therefore, these calves should be given extra attention to ensure an adequate consumption of colostrum. While serum IgG levels of < 8 g/L or < 10 g/L have been suggested as cutoffs for the diagnosis of FTPI, 16 g/L and 24 g/L have emerged as cutoffs for adequate and optimal serum IgG levels in beef calves. Several field-ready diagnostics have been compared in various studies to the reference standards for measuring indicators of TPI in beef calves, where results often differ between models or manufacturers. Therefore, care must be taken when interpreting these results.