Zach Janssen, DVM, shares how producers came to use caffeine to stimulate at-risk calves that are the result of dystocia (difficult birth), hypothermia from being born in the cold or being run down from a stressful event such as disease or transport.
While caffeine citrate has proven effective in humans, we are not able to feed this synthetically produced compound to animals due to AAFCO regulations. Concentrated green tea extract meets the requirements of being all-natural, effective and is considered a GRAS feed ingredient by AAFCO.
Source: Drovers, January 14, 2022. Link. Janssen shares the established benefits seen in human infants to the brain, lungs and heart would also be expected to be seen in high-risk calves given caffeine.