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[Is anaemia of veal calves normochromic or hypochromic? (author's transl)]
The anaemia resulting from iron deficiency is described as hypochromic in the medical literature. In the veterinary literature, anaemia of veal calves is usually regraded as normochromic. In order to examine the correctness of this view, the present authors studied the Hb and haematocrit (Hc) levels of the blood of veal calves in a comparative feeding trial for sixteen weeks. Three groups of male Dutch-Friesian calves, each group consisting of approximately thirty animals, were fed a milk replacer which contained 5, 10 or 25 ppm of iron respectively. The calculated mean Hb-concentration in the erythrocytes of the animals given 5 and 10 ppm of iron dropped during the trial period to below levels occurring at the age of two weeks. In the group given 25 ppm of iron, the erythrocyte Hb showed a rapid increase from the age of ten weeks and continuing throughout the rest of the trial period. At the age of sixteen weeks, the groups showed significant differences (P less than 0.01) in their mean erythrocyte Hb-concentrations. In veal calves, fed milkreplacers having an iron content below 25 ppm of Fe, the anaemia therefore is hypochromic.
The anaemia resulting from iron deficiency is described as hypochromic in the medical literature. In the veterinary literature, anaemia of veal calves is usually regraded as normochromic. In order to examine the correctness of this view, the present authors studied the Hb and haematocrit (Hc) levels of the blood of veal calves in a comparative feeding trial for sixteen weeks. Three groups of male Dutch-Friesian calves, each group consisting of approximately thirty animals, were fed a milk replacer which contained 5, 10 or 25 ppm of iron respectively. The calculated mean Hb-concentration in the erythrocytes of the animals given 5 and 10 ppm of iron dropped during the trial period to below levels occurring at the age of two weeks. In the group given 25 ppm of iron, the erythrocyte Hb showed a rapid increase from the age of ten weeks and continuing throughout the rest of the trial period. At the age of sixteen weeks, the groups showed significant differences (P less than 0.01) in their mean erythrocyte Hb-concentrations. In veal calves, fed milkreplacers having an iron content below 25 ppm of Fe, the anaemia therefore is hypochromic.