Approach to bloat

Question 1

History q’s

Answer 1

• Duration and onset
• Access to large forage (e.g. potatoes) or high clover pasture
• Any attempt at treatment
• Access to concentrate store
• > 1 animal affected?

Question 2

Differentiation between choke vs ruminal free gas bloat vs frothy bloat using a stomach tube

Answer 2

Oesophageal (“choke”)
- Stomach tube not passable/passes w resistance

Ruminal free gas bloat
- Tube passes easily, lg vol gas released, bloat gone

Frothy bloat
- Tube passes easily but only small volume gas released

Question 3

Oesophageal bloat - causes

Answer 3

• Most commonly FB
• Cervical lymphadenopathy (chr low grade bloat)
• Oesophageal rupture
• External compression

Question 4

Oesophageal bloat - diagnosis

Answer 4

• failure to pass stomach tube

Question 5

Oesophageal bloat - tx

Answer 5

• consider buscopan (not in dairy)
• could use sedation +/- trochee to relieve bloat

Question 6

Free gas ruminal bloat - tx

Answer 6

• relieved by passing tube, but may recur

Question 7

Free gas ruminal bloat - causes

Answer 7

• Vagal indigestion
• Peritonitis
• Prolonged lateral recumbency/casting
• Ruminal acidosis

Question 8

Ruminal bloat without free gas - causes

Answer 8

Frothy: due to lush high clover pasture
- Soon after turnout, rapid onset

Ruminal impaction
- Sudden increase in roughage (esp straw) or if water intake suddenly curtailed – palpable rectally

Question 9

Ruminal bloat without free gas tx

Answer 9

Frothy:
- poloxalene (BloatGuard) or silicones

Ruminal impaction:
- starve, oral magnesium sulphate in water