As part of my research I am collecting a lot of data on the health of my calves, such as temperature recordings twice daily prior to both morning and afternoon feedings. One of my calves born recently had a little bit of a rough start so I have been monitoring her very closely and looking for changes in her temperament and disease status. Below I included the current complete list of the temperature recordings I have for this calf and as you can see she has a relatively low body temperature. Since it is February and the average temperature for the day is set at 17* Fahrenheit, this little lady had remained indoors in a heat controlled environment. Her body is going to be working twice as hard compared to a healthy calf so to try and help her further I administered subcutaneous IV fluids underneath the skin on her neck. IV fluids are a great way to keep a calf hydrated, especially if they are unwilling to eat or drink and all I needed to do was warm the IV to body temperature. As I continue to manage this girl I intend on providing her with warm electrolytes to help combat the dehydration caused by scours and keep a close eye on her temperature.
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