Jaguar Animal Health Inc., an animal health company focused on developing and commercializing first-in-class gastrointestinal products for companion and production animals, foals and high-value horses, announced Feb. 14 the publication of a study in the Journal of Dairy Science, the official journal of the American Dairy Science Assn.

The study, “Prophylactic Use of a Standardized Botanical Extract for the Prevention of Naturally Occurring Diarrhea in Newborn Holstein Calves,” was conducted by researchers from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Jaguar announced that it plans to launch the prophylactic formulation of the Croton lechleri botanical extract (Neonorm Calf) this year in powder form for administration in liquid.

The C. lechleri extract, one of Jaguar’s lead non-prescription products, has been formulated and clinically tested to help proactively retain fluid in dairy calves and reduce the severity of diarrhea to aid the animals in avoiding debilitating, dangerous levels of dehydration associated with scours. The powder form of the product allows for ease of administration for herd-wide management.

The objectives of the Cornell study were to evaluate the prophylactic use of SB-300, the standardized botanical extract, on reducing fecal water loss and diarrhea events in Holstein bull calves individually housed under a restricted whole-milk feeding regimen (six liters per day) from one to 25 days of life.

A double-blind, randomized clinical trial was designed to allocate a total of 40 newborn calves into one of two treatment groups: 20 calves received (twice daily) a solution containing 500 mg of SB-300 added to whole milk for the first 15 days of life, and the other 20 calves received sterile water added to whole milk for the same period. Treatment solutions had a total volume of 10 mL per treatment. Data regarding fecal dry matter were collected to precisely measure the water content in fecal samples and to define diarrhea events.

Jaguar said the group treated with SB-300 had significantly increased fecal dry matter during the study period compared with calves in the control group. Additionally, significantly fewer events of diarrhea were observed for calves in the group treated with SB-300 (16.9%) compared with calves in the control group (46.5%). Dehydration status was evaluated and treated accordingly; calves with moderate dehydration were offered oral electrolytes, and calves with severe dehydration were rescued with intravenous fluid therapy, the company said.

Calves in the SB-300 group had fewer intravenous fluid therapies administered during the study period (1.6%) compared with the control group (3.1%). Overall fluid therapy administered (oral electrolytes plus intravenous fluids) was significantly higher for the control group (9.2%) compared with the SB-300 group (6.1%) during the study period.

“These results suggest that 500 mg of SB-300 added to the milk for 15 days can reduce the incidence of diarrhea and reduce severe dehydration in milk-fed calves,” principal investigator of the study Dr. Andre Gustavo Teixeira of Cornell reported. “The results appear to support the potential prophylactic benefits of an easy-to-administer powder formulation of (SB-300) on reducing the incidence and severity of diarrhea and associated fluid therapy in calves.”

The study results complement the results of a prior study Jaguar also conducted in association with Cornell that evaluated the effect of the product on diarrhea severity and consistency in newborn Holstein bull calves experiencing diarrhea induced by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. The results of this earlier study were published in the Journal of Dairy Science in 2015.

“The standardized botanical extract in Neonorm Calf is sustainably derived from the Amazonian tree species Croton lechleri and has a rich history of medicinal use by indigenous peoples in the northwestern Amazon rainforests of South America,” explained Dr. Steven King, Jaguar executive vice president of sustainable supply, ethno-botanical research and IP. “In recognition of this, the study recently published in Journal of Dairy Science acknowledges the ethno-medical expertise of the indigenous peoples of the northwestern Amazon region who discovered how to use the latex of Croton lechleri for the treatment of diarrhea and other gastrointestinal conditions.”

Neonatal calf diarrhea is a multifactorial disease that can be caused by infectious and non-infectious factors.