Bovine GI Disease (Betty Jo) Flashcards
what extra equipment do you need to do the left sided LDA approach?
long half curved PM needle, bottle stopper
when doing the left sided LDA approach, where are you aiming for to exit the body wall?
5cm right of midline, 5cm caudal to sternum
premark this site because you dont want to hit the milk vein
pros and cons of left sided approach?
pros: fast (no deflation), no tugging on omentum, abomasum visible and palpable, easier in last trimester of pregnancy
cons: can’t explore abdomen, if you are wrong you can’t do a prophylactic tack, need an assistant
metaboloic derrangements of obstructive disorders progress from
metabolic alkalosis, hypochloremia and hypokalemia, to acidosis and lactemia
most lesions of the small intestine cause what things?
obstruction, sequestion of fluid and gas resulting in + succession and changes in abdominal contour
what does abdominal pain look like in cattle?
stretching out the hind legs, treading of hind legs, kicking at belly, when severe pain= recumbency
the most common site of intestinal obstruction is the _______. with a small intestinal volvulus what do you feel on rectal palpation? how about on physical exam? how do you fix this?
distal jejunum and ileum
feel small intestine wedged in the pelvic inlet
PE: tachycardia, dehydration, succession on R paralumbar fossa
treatment: surgical, gently un twist it, may need to resect large portions, need an assistant
how do you assess bowel viability?
color, motility, submucosal edema, hemorrhage
in general: bowel color and contractility should improve within 5 mins of un twisting
usually these cases end in euthanasia because so much bowel is not viable
how do cows with mesenteric root torsion present and what is the appropriate treatment?
very severe signs, extreme abdominal pain, shock, etc
humane euthaniasia best
where do intussusceptions usually happen? who are they common in?
small intestine usually, then colocolic, then ileocolic. more common in calves (distal to ileum)
you have a cow that has low grade abdominal pain, mucus and blood in the feces, has a positive succession on the R side, and has low bilateral distention like a juicy pear. dx?
intussesception
how do you do surgical treatment of an intussusception? prognosis?
most of the time you can’t correct it, so you have to resect and anastamose
we often dont see these cows in time to allow for a good prognosis but overall survival is 35% post op
what is hemorrhagic bowel syndrome? cause?
acute enterotoxemic disorder, we arent sure of the cause but we suspect clostridium perfringens type A and aspergillus fumigates
HBS is common in what kind of cows?
high producing cows at peak lactation who are consuming a high energy TMR, high grain in the diet. where there’s one case there’s probably more!
you go see a cow named Sunny who is depressed and has almost no rumen motility. she has had a huge decrease in milk production, has a R sided ping and + succession, looks like a juicy pear, is dehydrated and tachycardic, has pale mucus membranes, and has melena and/or clotted blood in the feces. Dx? how will you diagnose? treatment?
HBS
rectal palp: distended loops of intestine, scant to no feces
profound abdominal distension, on US thickened intestinal walls
IV fluids, lidocaine ( analgesia and prokinetic effects to push clots thru), blood transfusion
what is the end result of HBS?
clots and obstruction of the jejunum
what condition has a similar presentation to HBS and how can you tell them apart?
abomasal ulcers
with ulcers theres no obstruction or distention
why is early treatment of HBS so important?
once clots form and adhere to the lumen, you have to do surgery to fix it and you likely have to resect and anastamose tissue which is a poor prognosis
briefly describe how you do a blood transfusion in the field
choose a non pregnant cow, sedate and place an IV, and make sure there’s an anticoagulant ( sodium citrate, dextrose, sterile water). Collect 4-6 L of blood.
treatment of HBS for a low value cow?
goal is to prevent clots from adhering
IV fluids, add mineral oil, calcium gluconate, oral KCl
prognosis for HBS cases medical management vs surgical
medical: grave if clots become adhered, fair if clots do not adhere, fair to good if farmers are trained to recognize early signs
surgical: poor if surgery less than 48 hours onset, grave if surgery more than 48 hours onset
explain how cecal dilation/torsion happens
hypocalcemia, confinement, diets rich in starch, all resulting in atony and distention, predisposing to torsion
PE findings for cecal torsion
ping on R side–>higher and more caudal than a RDA
she will look like a juicy apple
dehydration and tachycardia
off feed, reduced milk
treatment options for cecal dilation/ torsion?
medical: IV fluids, calcium, oral fluid therapy with laxatives, instant coffee lol, increase roughage in feed, NSAIDs
surgical: typhlotomy for when medical management doesn’t work, typhlectomy for recurrent cases when bowel is non viable (not a field surgery), cecal resection and anastamosis
briefly describe how to do a typhlotomy
essentially cutting into the cecum and letting it drain
use double inverting to close
watch it for 10 minutes to see if it fills back up
indications for a left sided explore/rumenotomy
hardware disease, vagal indigestion, rumen acidosis
briefly describe how you do a rumenotomy
cut into left PLF, do an explore first, tack the rumen to skin, then do a continuous inverting pattern usually cushing, ensure no gaps between rumen and skin, then you can cut into the rumen and remove ingesta (get it all out if theres acidosis), explore the esophageal and omasal openings, make sure the reticulum is moving
to close the rumen: double layer inverting pattern before you remove your tack and rinse well before removing tack
indications for a rumenostomy (leaving it open)
chronic bloat in young calves, chronic bloat in feedlot cattle, unresolved vagal cows
