Characterizing the literature surrounding transport of young dairy calves: A scoping review protocol

Date

2020-06-26

Authors

Goetz, H.M.
Winder, C.B.
Dunn, J.
Kelton, D.F.
Costa, J.H.C.
Renaud, D.L.

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Abstract

Background: Transport is a stressful event for cattle of all ages and can negatively impact animal health. For calves, their physiological and immune systems are still developing such that they are particularly susceptible to stressors surrounding transportation including commingling and exposure to new environments and microorganisms. This experience affects the calves in the short term but could also predispose them to lifelong challenges, such as increased risk of morbidity, mortality, and reduced average daily gain. No formal synthesis has described studies describing and evaluating the impact of transportation in young calves to date, despite its common occurrence and significant impact on calf health. Objectives: The objective of this scoping review is to describe and characterize the existing literature surrounding transport of young dairy calves. This review will summarize descriptive and analytic studies examining transport in young calves, including listing how the impact of transport has been assessed and evaluated, and identify knowledge gaps in literature. Design: All primary research will be eligible for inclusion, with the exception of case reports and case series. Study population in articles used in this review will be restricted to calves of any breed and sex from birth to 60 days of age destined for veal, dairy-beef, or dairy production. The selection and inclusion process will be reported using a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flowchart (Moher et al., 2009). Descriptive summaries of included studies will be displayed in frequency tables and results of studies included will be reported in summary tables and figures. This review will be reported following the PRISMA-extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) (Tricco et al., 2018).

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Keywords

calf, calves, transport, scoping review

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