Calf Acute Abdomen

Question 1

in calves in the first week of life, where does most digestion occur?

Answer 1

in the abomasum, and then once the calf is a few months old, it switches over to the rumen as it slowly develops

Question 2

what is the only way to stimulate the esophageal groove to close?

Answer 2

suckling!

Question 3

what kinds of feed stimulate the rumen papillae to develop?

Answer 3

milk: no development
milk + hay: some development
milk + starter (grain): optimal development

aka you need them grains boo

Question 4

on ultrasound, can you see the reticulum and the omasum in calves? how about the rumen and abomasum?

Answer 4

reticulum moves around a lot and if a calf just ate you might not be able to see it

the omasum is rarely seen in the first 2 weeks fo life

the rumen can be seen but will be full of gas so you wont be able to see anything.

the abomasum is seen and may show hyperechoic stippling from clotted milk

Question 5

what are some clinical signs of a calf with an acute abdomen?

Answer 5

kicking at belly, lying down then standing up, looking at flank, bloated shape, fever, tachycardia, hyperventilation

Question 6

you’re doing auscultation and succussion on a calf with colic and you get a positive succussion. What does this mean?

Answer 6

I need to ask when the calf last drank milk because it could be a normal succussion from the milk. If the calf didn’t drink milk recently, then I would be concerned about fluid somewhere

Question 7

in calves, what causes each of the acid base abnormalities? met acid, met alk, resp acid, resp alk

Answer 7

met acid: diarrhea
met alk: displaced abomasum or obstruction
resp acid: aspiration pneumonia/pneumonia
resp alk: hyperventilation, hypoxemia

Question 8

list differentials for colic in calves less than 8 days old

Answer 8

atresia coli, atresia recti/ani, intussesception, peracute enteritis, acute diffuse peritonitis, omphalophlebitis, mesenteric torsion

Question 9

list differentials for colic in calves more than 8 days old

Answer 9

abdominal dilation, abdominal torsion, typmany (bloat), perforating ulcer, mesenteric torsion, enteritis

Question 10

what is atresia coli

Answer 10

complete absence of an intestinal lumen at the spiral colon caused by a vascular insufficiency

Question 11

what is atresia ani/recti

Answer 11

when the urorectal folds fail to divide the cloaca

Question 12

you go see a calf at a dairy farm and the calf seemed completely normal at birth, but lost it’s appetite after 12 hours and did not pass any meconium. When you examine the calf, you can see white mucus at the rectum. top differential? prognosis?

Answer 12

atresia coli/recti/ani

if it’s atresia coli, humane euthanasia is best option

if atresia recti/ani–>can surgically correct and give them a butthole and this is a much better prognosis

Question 13

what are some reasons why calves get bloat?

Answer 13

trichobezoars, rumenitis, chronic rumen acidosis, rumen putrefaction, failure of esophageal groove closure, severe pneumonia (air gulping and damage to the vagus nerve), juvenile lymphosarcoma

Question 14

you go out to see a calf with colic: it appears bloated, is depressed, is grinding it’s teeth, and is hypersalivating. Succussion is positive. Top differential? how will you treat this calf?

Answer 14

abomasitis and enteritis caused by one of the following:
trichobzoars, mineral deficinecy, C perfringens type A, sarcinia spp

treatment: avoid feeding milk or anything orally, place an NG tube to relieve bloat, oral penicillin, IV fluids, NSAIDs for pain, pantoprazole

Question 15

what are the 4 types of abomasal ulcers?

Answer 15

type 1: erosion of mucosa not involving basement membrane
type 2: non perforating with severe hemorrhage=melena
type 3: perforating localized ulcer
type 4: perforating severe diffuse ulcer

Question 16

a producer asks you what some risk factors are for abomasal ulcers in calves because he wants to work to prevent them in the future. you tell him…

Answer 16

trace mineral deficiencies, bacterial agents like C/ perfringens, stress, abrasive agents like hairballs, LDAs

Question 17

you go see a calf that has ventral abdominal distension, seems bloated, and is painful on abdominal palpation. When examining the feces, you note melena. What is your top differential and what history question do you want to ask the producer?

Answer 17

i suspect abomasal ulcers

I want to ask if the calf recently had a DA because 70& of cows with a perforated gastric ulcer had DAs previously

Question 18

the producer that has the calf with the abomasal ulcer asks about the prognosis for this calf. you say…

Answer 18

surgery has a guarded to poor prognosis, but we can try pantoprazole, randitidine or cimetidine

Question 19

what is a “ruminal drinker”? Why is this a problem?

Answer 19

NOT a cow alcoholic, but failure of closure of the esophageal groove in a wittle baby calf insert cute emoji here

this is a problem because all the milk goes into the rumen instead of the abomasum and creates bacterial fermentation. The bacteria produce lactate, leading to ruminal and metabolic acidosis=hyperkeratotic parakeratosis and reticulorumenitis

Question 20

you go out to see a calf with reoccurring bloat, seems under conditioned and has a poor hair coat despite eating well, is depressed and dehydrated, and it has an arched back. What do you want to investigate immediately?

Answer 20

sounds like a ruminal drinker. I would suggest feeding smaller meals, only feed with nipples and not buckets, give the calf some bicarbonate, and consider weaning the calf a little earlier.

Question 21

how many umbillical veins and umbillical arteries are there, and which one(s) carry oxygenated blood?

Answer 21

there are two umbillical arteries

there are two umbillical veins at first that then merge to form one umbillical vein

umbillical vein carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the baby, and the umbillical arteries carry deoxygenated blood from the fetus back to the mom to be oxygenated

Question 22

a normal navel looks like…

Answer 22

a dry little stalk for a week or 2

should be dry within 48 hours or birth

Question 23

what is one way you can tell if the umbillical stump is too big?

Answer 23

ultrasound

Question 24

your friend who is new to farming cattle calls you to tell you that the newest heifer on the farm just gave birth. Everything with the birth went well, but he has no idea what to do with the “umbillical cord” and is wondering if he needs to clean it. What do you tell him?

Answer 24

use an iodine product to desiccate and disinfect the navel in the form of a dip, and dip it only once. Make sure the dip is clean!

Question 25

if you see a calf with a mass in the umbillical area, what are things you need to know about the mass to narrow down a differential?

Answer 25

is it painful? hot? hard? reduceable? is there discharge coming out of it? is it coming from the umbillical stalk or the abdomen?

Question 26

what is umbillical eventration and how do you decide prognosis?

Answer 26

when the intestines prolapase through the umbillicus

prognosis is okay if t’s caught early and the intestines are not compromised–>stuff it back in like a sleeping bag, lavage it, and suture it closed!

prognosis is poor if the intestines rupture or if theres ischemic necrosis of the intestines

Question 27

how should you score navels for umbillical infection?

Answer 27

score 0=no signs of heat, pain, swelling, or discharge
score 1= slightly enlarged, not warm or painful
score 2=slightly enlarged, slight pain, moisture
score 3=enlarged, painful, heat, discharge

Question 28

describe the difference between these terms:
omphalitis, omphalophlebitis, omphaloarteritis, urachitis

Answer 28

omphalitis: infection of the umbillical structures outside the body wall

omphalophlebitis: infection of umbillical vein

omphaloarteritis: infection of the umbillical artery

urachitis: infection of the urachus

Question 29

umbillical infections are usually associated with what pathogens? what are some risk factors?

Answer 29

E coli and T pyogenes

failure of transfer passive immunity, contaminated environments, and poor navel care like not dipping can all increase risk

Question 30

you are presented with a calf with a swollen, hot, painful umbillicus with some discharge. how will you treat this? if there was an abscess, would your treatment change?

Answer 30

ampicillin or penicillin for 5 days

with an abscess, lance and drain, flush with disinfectant, and then go on antibiotics

Question 31

the most common congenital disease of cattle is

Answer 31

hernias

Question 32

can you fix umbillical hernias in the field?

Answer 32

if theyre less than 10cm and if the calf is less than 6 months old you can. If theyre larger in older calves it’s a much bigger problem

Question 33

what are some options for non surgical hernia repair?

Answer 33

an elastic band lookin thingy? or a bandage

Question 34

when doing a surgical umbillical repair, what are your options for sedation

Answer 34

diazepam for young calves

xylazine, butorphanol, ketamine for older calves

local block with lidocaine

sacrococcygeal epidural with xylazine and lidocaine

Question 35

briefly describe the surgical procedure for correcting umcomplicated umbillical hernias

Answer 35

make an elipitcal incision around the umbillicus, blunt and sharp dissect to expose the rectus abdominus muscle, blunt dissect through the peritoneum and explore the abdomen for adhesions or infected tissue. Freshen any edges of the hernia with mayo scissors. Close the muscle layer with a tension holding suture, close the subQ layer with simple continuous, and then close the skin with ford interlocking (non absorbable)

Question 36

what kind of post op care is needed after surgical correction of an umbillical hernia?

Answer 36

NSAIDs, antibiotics, belly bandage, restricted movement, and gradually re introduce forage for a few days.

monitor for hematomas, abscesses, or re-herniation