Pantothenic Acid Deficiency in the Growing Calf

Abstract

Pantothenic acid deficiency was produced in calves fed an improved pantothenic acid-free synthetic milk diet. Major symptoms of the deficiency noted include rough haircoat, spectacle eye, dermatitis under lower jaw, excessive nasal mucous, loss of appetite, reduced growth rate, eventual loss of weight followed by death. The internal symptoms included pneumonic changes in lung tissue, demyelination of sciatic nerve and spinal cord, extensive edemas in the fascial planes of muscle tissue, and softening and congestion of the cerebrum. It was possible to cure the calves with calcium pantothenate therapy.