Colostrum is the thick, yellowish coloured milk the mother animal produces immediately after she gives birth (parturition) and which is produced by all mammals. It provides the antibodies the newborn animal needs to protect him from infection until his immune system is sufficiently developed to be able to create its own antibodies. Without these antibodies from colostrum, babies may become sick or even die.
Momiji nurses Choco, Donut and Macaroni who are six weeks old
The immune system of newborn animals has not yet developed meaning they have no antibodies (immunoglobulin) of their own to protect them against disease, bacteria and viral infections. The colostrum in the mother’s milk provides these antibodies and contains the antibodies from every infection the mother has been exposed to over the course of her lifetime. In this way the mother’s immunity is transferred to the newborn via the colostrum. The mother’s milk is richest in colostrum when she gives birth so it is very important that the newborn animal should drink this as soon as possible, and within 3 – 6 hours of birth. The concentration of antibodies declines significantly over the first 12 – 24 hours. After three to five days the mother’s milk no longer contains any colostrum. It may also be important that the mother stays in the same place where she will give birth for 14 days prior to giving birth, in order that she can develop antibodies against any pathogens in the birth environment.
There is another reason why It is vitally important that the newborn animal suckles as soon as possible after birth. Mammals are born with a special ability to absorb the antibodies in the colostrum directly into the bloodstream. Known as passive immunity transfer, this is the most efficient way of ensuring that the antibodies are spread throughout the body of the newborn animal. The antibodies pass through the lining of the stomach, the intestinal wall, directly into the bloodstream. However, this ability only lasts for a very short time, the first 24 – 36 hours of his life. This passive immunity transfer is at its most efficient during the first few hours after birth. Passive immunity transfer ensures that the antibodies , which are large protein molecules, are able to be absorbed intact and enter directly into the bloodstream without destroying the structure of the molecules, which is important as the structure of an antibody is integral to its function. Research suggests that after 6 hours the intestinal wall is already beginning to close and by 12 hours the ability to absorb the antibodies directly into the bloodstream has already declined by about 50%. After 24 hours, some say 36 hours, antibodies can no longer be absorbed directly into the bloodstream. After this period the antibody proteins are digested in the normal way in the intestine, and turned into amino acids before being absorbed. These antibodies can still offer protection, but only locally in the intestine.
Macaroni did not get much colostrum because his mother, Ayu, did not produce any milk
Antibodies identify and bind to specific pathogens. They then signal to the animal’s immune system to destroy the invading pathogen. Because baby mammals are born without antibodies they are very susceptible to disease. The young animal may be exposed to pathogens in their environment including from the mother’s nipple or unclean feeding bottles. These pathogens, bacteria and viruses, travel to the intestine where they attach to the intestinal wall and reproduce. They may destroy intestinal cells, causing upset to the metabolism, malnourishment, leakage of cell contents into the intestinal lumen, maldigestion, osmotic upset and ultimately diarrhoea. Many pathogens are found in the intestine so for the antibodies to be effective against these they must move from the blood back into the intestine and attach to the pathogen.
Colostrum also provides the energy needed for a newborn to maintain body temperature and survive especially in cold environments. Newborn animals have low reserves of vitamins and minerals and colostrum is rich in these. Selenium, copper and zinc are minerals which are essential for good immune function. Newborn pups are very dependent on copper acquired through the mother’s umbilical cord as copper levels in milk are low. The iron content may be as much at seventeen times higher in colostrum than normal milk. Colostrum also has laxative properties which help to stimulate the passage of faecal matter through the newborn animals digestive tract.
The quality of the colostrum which the mother produces will depend on her age, older mothers produce better quality colostrum than mothers giving birth for the first time. It is also essential that the mother gets the necessary nutrition, especially during the later stages of her pregnancy, in order to mount the immune response needed to create antibodies in her colostrum and for her own health. Without adequate nutrition the mother may produce less colostrum and colostrum which is of poorer quality.
The amount of colostrum the newborns receive depends on a number of factors including the position of the teat on which the baby is suckling. With capybara pups and piglets the teats closest to the animals front legs, the anterior, provide a greater amount of colostrum compared to the teats at the rear of the animal, the posterior. The strongest, largest pups tend to drink at these anterior teats. However, all teats provide sufficient antibodies to protect the newborn. Animals who are born later in the birthing process, and animals who have a lower weight at birth, also receive less colostrum, perhaps because they were suckling at the posterior teats, but will still receive enough to get the antibodies they need.
Research on mother pigs suggest that the colostrum is not released continuously, but rather in “discrete ejections”.
http://animalstudiesrepository.org/feebeh/4/
Newborn animals who do not receive colostrum can survive but are more susceptible to diarrhoea and pneumonia. In the absence of colostrum from the mother’s milk a colostrum substitute can be used. You should be aware of the difference between a “colostrum supplement” and a “colostrum substitute”. A colostrum supplement does not contain the antibodies which a newborn animal requires. In America, USDA’s Centre for Veterinary Biologics regulates the immunoglobulin content of colostrum products. The product must raise the concentration of serum immunoglobulin, i.e. the amount of antibodies in the blood, above 10 mg/mL. Many of these products are based on bovine serum which contains at least 100 g of immunoglobulin per litre. These products also include fat, protein, vitamins and minerals.
If you are using a colostrum substitute this should be fed as soon as possible after birth when the antibodies will be absorbed most efficiently by passive immunity transfer. The colostrum substitute should be fed during the first 6 hours, and can be fed on demand. Some sources recommend feeding at 3 to 4 hour intervals for the first 24 hours of the animal’s life, although the efficiency with which the colestrum is absorbed will decline as the hours pass. The colostrum substitute should be fed at blood temperature at a ratio of about 10% of the animal’s body weight. A 60 mL syringe holds 2 ounces of colostrum.
The mother’s colostrum can be stored in a refrigerator for one week before quality and the concentration of antibodies declines. If you have extra colostrum that you are able to freeze, it should be frozen in small quantities, perhaps using an ice tray which ensures that small quantities can be removed as required. Frozen colostrum must be thawed slowly so as not to destroy the antibodies. Use a bowl of warm water to thaw the frozen colostrum slowly, do not thaw it in a microwave. Once defrosted it cannot be refrozen. Frozen colostrum can be stored for up to 12 months.
Thus there are two factors which influence the antibodies which a newborn will receive, and both are only available for a short time period. One is the amount of the colostrum in the mother’s milk, and the other is the ability of the newborn pup to absorb these antibodies directly into the bloodstream. Therefore it is very important that a newborn animal drinks his mother’s colostrum rich milk as soon as possible after birth and within six hours.
My interest in colostrum came about because Macaroni, who was born at Nagasaki Bio Park, did not receive any colostrum from his mother, Ayu, as she did not produce any milk. Macaroni was put in with Momiji who had given birth to Choco and Donut three days before Macaroni was born. Although Macaroni was a normal-sized pup for the first few weeks of his life, when we met up again a year later he was very small and very thin. He may have received a very small amount of colostrum from Momiji but not enough to ensure his normal development. However, I was told that Macaroni would achieve a normal lifespan which proved to be the case.
Capybara pups are born precocial which means they are able to eat normal food almost as soon as they are born. Zabon’s pups, Nadeshiko, Kikyo and Sasuke all took great interest in the vegetables that had been put on the food trough in their enclosure for their mother, Zabon, within a few hours of their birth. They took the vegetables in their mouths and chewed and appeared to be eating the vegetables.
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