Conjunctivitis, red nose and skin hypersensitivity as signs of food allergy in veal calves

Alpuro BV Milkreplacer Company, Uddel, The Netherlands.

The severity of diarrhoea and the degree of hyperaemia of the conjunctiva and nose were recorded in veal calves being fattened on either cows milk or milk-replacer. A skin-prick test using the milk-replacer as antigen was also performed. Control calves received only their mother's milk. Among these control calves there were no abnormalities, and in the calves fed other cows milk only slight abnormalities were seen. In contrast, in the calves fattened on milk-replacer, and especially in the calves showing the 'cachexia' syndrome, there were moderate to severe abnormalities and clear correlations were found between the severity of the diarrhoea and the hyperaemia of the conjunctiva and nose, and the scores recorded in the skin-prick test.