Calf Passive Transfer Test (Serum IgG / Total Protein)
The calf passive transfer test checks whether a newborn cow or buffalo calf absorbed enough antibodies from colostrum, using serum IgG or total protein. It is most useful in the first days of life.
- Sample
- Serum
- Quantity
- As advised
- Report
- Confirmed when you book
- Collection
- Free in Bhopal
What this test checks
- Serum IgG, the main antibody a calf gets from colostrum
- Serum total protein, a simple indirect guide to how much colostrum antibody was absorbed
- Possible failure of passive transfer, judged against the range on the lab report
- How well colostrum care is working across a group of calves on a farm
Benefits of this test
- Can help find calves that did not absorb enough colostrum antibodies.
- Helps your vet decide which calves need closer watching.
- Testing several healthy calves can show how well calf care is working on the farm.
- Uses a small blood sample from the calf.
- Can be used with a colostrum quality test, which checks the colostrum itself.
Often discussed at these ages:CalfBuffalo Calf
When your vet may advise it
- A newborn cow or buffalo calf in its first days of life, after it has had colostrum.
- Calves on a farm that often get diarrhoea, pneumonia or navel infections.
- A calf that was weak at birth or did not suckle well in its first hours.
- Routine checks on a group of healthy calves, as your vet advises.
- When the mother was ill, leaked milk before calving or had little colostrum.
About this test
Calves are born with very few antibodies of their own. Antibodies are proteins that help the body fight germs. A newborn calf gets its first protection from colostrum, the thick first milk of its mother, and can absorb these antibodies from its gut only for a short time after birth. This passing of antibodies from mother to calf is called passive transfer. When a calf does not absorb enough, it is called failure of passive transfer, and such calves are more likely to get diarrhoea, pneumonia or navel infections and may grow poorly.
This test checks a blood sample from the calf. It may measure IgG, the main type of antibody in colostrum, or serum total protein, which rises when a calf has absorbed colostrum and is used as a simple indirect guide to IgG. The lab confirms the method when you book. The test is most useful in the first days of life, after the calf has had colostrum. Vets and farm managers commonly test several healthy calves to see how well colostrum care is working on the farm as a whole, not just in one calf.
The result shows the calf's level against the range given on the lab report. A low result suggests the calf did not absorb enough antibodies, and your vet may watch it more closely or suggest changes in calf care. A calf that is dehydrated, for example from diarrhoea, can show a falsely high total protein, so results from sick calves need care. The test shows antibody absorption, not whether a calf is healthy. A registered veterinarian reads the result with the calf's age, health and colostrum history.
How to prepare
A small blood sample is taken from the calf into a plain tube for serum, ideally in the first days of life after colostrum, and note when and how the calf got colostrum. The lab confirms the method, sample needs and reporting time when you book.
Reading the result
A registered veterinarian reads the result with the calf's age, health and colostrum history. A low result suggests failure of passive transfer, and your vet may advise closer care or changes in calf management. Dehydration can make total protein look falsely high. Results are most reliable in the first days of life, and the test does not show whether a calf is healthy.
Questions about Calf Passive Transfer Test (Serum IgG / Total Protein)
What is a passive transfer test in calves?
When should a calf be tested for passive transfer?
What is the difference between serum IgG and total protein in calves?
Can I get calf colostrum antibody testing in Bhopal?
Before you book this test
Why this notice: so you know, before you book, how a test is done, what its limits are and who is responsible.
- Where it is tested. Some tests are done wholly or partly by an independent partner laboratory. The lab tells you before booking if this test is sent out, and the report names the laboratory that did it.
- What a result can and cannot tell you. No test is right every time. A normal result does not rule out every disease, and an abnormal result does not prove one. A registered veterinarian should read the report with the animal’s signs and history before any treatment is started, changed or stopped.
- The sample. A sample that is clotted, too small, wrongly labelled, leaking or too old may be rejected or reported with a note, and the lab may ask for a fresh one.
- Reporting time. Confirmed when you book. Times are estimates, not guarantees, and the lab confirms the time when you book.
- Emergencies. A booking or a pending report must not delay urgent care. If an animal has collapsed, struggles to breathe, has fits or bleeds heavily, call a veterinarian at once.
Please read our Terms of Service, Medical Disclaimer, Privacy Policy and Refund and Cancellation Policy. Pashupatinath Vet Lab is operated by Duaji Healthcare and Tech Private Limited. This page is general information and does not replace a veterinarian’s advice.
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Calf Passive Transfer Test (Serum IgG / Total Protein): Bhopal and the big cities of Madhya Pradesh
Free sample collection anywhere in Bhopal. From the other cities, send the sample by courier, bus parcel or through your local veterinarian, and the report comes to you online.
Free collection in these Bhopal areas
Read more
Calf Health in the First Weeks: Colostrum and Lab Tests
A newborn calf gets its first defence against infection from colostrum, its mother's first milk. A blood test and a colostrum check can show whether enough antibodies were taken in.
18 Oct 2026