Table 1.

Standardized scoring for quantification of clinical illness

Characteristic	Score
	0	1	2	3	4
Depression1	No observed abnormal behavior	Ears slightly drooped, standing alone in corner of pen, lack of interest	Walks slowly, lethargic, sometimes stands with head lowered	Very lethargic, stands with head lowered, often recumbent or reluctant to stand (but able to stand)	No attempt to clear nostrils, in sternal or lateral recumbent posture almost continuously, nonresponsive or oblivious
Diarrhea2	Hard; would easily roll off inclined surface, often meconium	Somewhat formed; slide down inclined surface leaving much residue, normal calf feces	Semiliquid; hold minimal form and flow easily down inclined surface leaving some material behind	Watery; generally homogeneous in makeup, flow easily down inclined surface leaving little to no residue
Appetite3	Entire volume consumed without coaxing	Entire volume with coaxing	More than half the volume	Less than half the volume	Unwilling to eat or no consumption
Dehydration4	STT less than 3 s		STT 3 to 9 s, or eyes slightly recessed into orbits		STT greater than 9 s, or eyes moderately or severely recessed into orbits

¹Depression score assigned upon observing minimum 2 characteristics of a score.

²Diarrhea score assigned to fresh feces produced via digital stimulation.

³Appetite score assigned based on volume of milk replacer consumed and willingness of calf to drink.

⁴Dehydration score assigned using skin tent test (STT) or ocular recession, whichever observation showed more severe dehydration.