Research Summary - 1
Impact of oral administration of di-tri-octahedral smectite (Bio-sponge ®) on the duration of diarrhea and need for antimicrobial drug use in diarrheic dairy calves.
| Date/Time: |
9/11/2025
17:15
|
| Author: |
Ailbhe King |
| Clinic: |
North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine |
| City, State, ZIP: |
Raleigh, NC 27607 |
Ailbhe King, MVB, MSc, DACVIM (LAIM)
1
;
Cynthia Xue, DVM, DACVIM (LAIM)
2
;
Hakeem Jenkins , BS
1
;
Tomas Gonzalez, DVM, MS
1
;
Sarah Blasczynski, BS, RVT, VTS
3
;
Lisa Gamsjäger, Mag.med.vet, DACVIM, PhD
1
;
1Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
2Department of Clinical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
3William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of California Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, California, USA
Introduction:
Diarrhea is the leading cause of morbidity, mortality and antimicrobial drug use in calves during the first month of age. Di-tri-octahedral smectite (DTOS; Bio-sponge®, Platinum Performance, Buellton, CA), an intestinal adsorbent labelled for dogs and horses, is frequently used by veterinarians and producers for the treatment of neonatal calf diarrhea. Information about the effectiveness is unknown. Hence, the objectives of this study were to:
1. Compare the duration of neonatal calf diarrhea between calves administered DTOS (Bio-sponge®) and calves not receiving DTOS (Bio-sponge®).
2. Compare frequency of antimicrobial drug use between calves administered DTOS (Bio-sponge®) and calves not receiving DTOS (Bio-sponge®).
Materials and methods:
This randomized clinical trial was conducted on a large Holstein dairy farm in Turlock, California. Calves <4 weeks old with acute diarrhea (<24 h duration; fecal score 2 or 3) and no prior antimicrobial treatment were eligible for enrollment. Calves were not enrolled if ≥2 of the following were present: >8% dehydration, scleral injection, absent suckle, inability to stand, or fever (>103°F). Enrolled calves (n = 123) were randomly assigned to a treatment group (DTOS; 40 g Bio-sponge® in 40 mL water orally BID) or control group (C; 40 mL water orally BID) until 1 day after clinical resolution (fecal score ≤1), for up to 7 days as per manufacturer instructions. Physical exams were performed daily, fecal and hydration scores were assessed twice daily. Fecal samples collected at enrollment were tested for rotavirus, coronavirus, Cryptosporidium spp., Salmonella spp., and Clostridium perfringens; samples from calves <8 days were also tested for E. coli K99. Weight was measured at enrollment and day 7 in a subset of calves to estimate average daily gain (ADG). All calves were fed waste/line milk per farm SOP. Supportive therapy (oral electrolytes) and antimicrobial/NSAID use were guided by standardized clinical criteria. Resolution of diarrhea was defined as two consecutive fecal scores ≤1.
Kaplan Meier Survival curves were constructed, and Proportional Hazard Models were built for the groups to investigate differences in time to resolution of diarrhea. A logistic regression model was used to assess the impact of DTOS on antimicrobial use for diarrhea. A linear regression model was used to assess impact of DTOS on ADG.
Results:
Data from 122 calves (59 C, 63 DTOS) was analyzed. The following pathogens were isolated from calf feces at enrollment: Clostridium perfringens bacteria (n=67), Clostridium perfringens toxin (n=1), rotavirus (n=58), Cryptosporidium spp. (n=43), Salmonella spp. (n=18), coronavirus (n=15), and Escherichia coli K99 (n=2). Multi-pathogenic infections were identified in 23 calves; in this classification, the presence of C. perfringens bacteria alone was not considered pathogenic. There was no significant difference in the duration of diarrhea between groups (P = 0.76), with mean time to resolution of 3.05 days (SE ± 0.28) for calves in the control group and 3.30 days (SE ± 0.24) for calves in the DTOS group. Three calves received antimicrobials, all of which were control calves. Average daily gain did not significantly differ between the groups (P=0.49).
Significance:
Orally administered Di-tri-octahedral smectite (Bio-sponge®) did not reduce the duration of diarrhea in neonatal dairy calves in this study. Notably, the number of calves who required antimicrobial treatment for diarrhea based on our antimicrobial use qualifiers was extremely low (n=3). This study emphasizes that antimicrobials are most often not needed to treat neonatal calf diarrhea, and that oral electrolyte treatment alone is frequently sufficient for severe diarrhea (FS=3).
