Cow Abdo Problems Flashcards
What are the 3 most common abdo problems of cattle?
- Bloat
- Traumatic reticulitis
- Rumen acidosis
What is the average volume of the rumen?
180-200l
What is the purpose of the rumen and at what pH does it function?
Digest cellulose -> VFAs
pH 6.2 - 7
What is the main VFA produced in a healthy rumen? What is this used for?
Acetate -> Milk fat
What % milk fat is good for a healthy cow? What do differences in this indicate?
4.2%
Lower indicates rumen issues
How does rumen acidosis occour? How does this affect rumen output?
Starch and sugar digestion decreases pH. Only organisms capable of functioning at low pH survive, main VFAs become propionate and butyrate. Severe pH decreases -> rumen stasis.
How much saliva does a cow produced per day? What stimulates production?
100-150l contains 3.5kg bicarbonate .Chewing and ruminating encourage by fibre in diet. Needs to be comfortable and lying down ~14 hrs/day
What causes acute ruminal acidosis? How common is this? What is the prognosis?
Rare, but life threatening clinical emergency with poor prognosis. Sudden ingestion of large amounts of fermentable carbohydrates eg. animal breaking into feed stores, overfeeding or concentrates or sudden lack of forage/straw bedding. Usually beef cattle.
What are the clinical signs associated with acute acidoisis? What is the prognosis?
- dull/recumbent
-ataxia
-anorexia
-laminitis (may cross legs)
-rumen stasis and abdo distension sometimes
-dehydtrated, ^ pulse, sunken eyes
>guarded prognosis
How is acute rumenal acidosis treated?
- 5% sodium bicarbonate slow i/v 5l/450kg over 30 mins OR drench (-> massive bloating!)
- i/v fluids isotonic NaCl 150ml/kg over 6-12hrs
- oral magnesium hydroxide 500g/450kg
- rumenotomy and/or rumen lavage
Where is SARA usually seen?
dairy herds
What clinical signs are associated with SARA?
- ill defined herd syndrome
- v milk fat and v yields
- laminitis (solar ulcers/solar heamorrhages)
- v apetite
- liver abscesses due to bacteria crossing from rumen. septic foci break down -> thrombosis of the caudal vena cava, bits break off and lodge in lungs, erode blood vessels -> heamoptysis and epistaxis (caudal vena cava syndrome)
- high culling rate in herd
What are the clinical signs assocated with rumen bloat (tympany)
- distension of left flank > mild: distension of sublumbar fossa > more severe: whole left flank > very severe: entire abdomen - sudden death (may die overnight after being turned out at pasture) - may be distressed, dyspnoic - may be recumbent
Which cows are usually affected by frothy bloat?
Cattle at pasture (foaming properties of soluble leaf proteins esp legumes, clovers, alfalfa and rich lush pastures) or high cereal diets. Often multiple cows.
What is the treatment for frothy bloat?
- remove cattle from pasture/feed source
- passing stomach tube will not relieve bloat
- trocar into rumen will not relieve bloat
> treat with antifoaming agent - poloxalene (bloat guard) 25-50g
- mineral oil/corn oil 500ml
- simethicone 100ml (BIRP)
> sit in sternal recumbency
> consider strip grazing, buffer feeding
What may cause gaseous bloat?
- excessive carbohydrate intake
- oesophageal obstruction
- milk fever (will be fine once Ca has been replenished)
- lateral recumbency (blocks cardia)
What may cause oesophageal obstruction?
- choke
- lesions of oesophageal groove (vagus indigestion or actinobacillus)
- enlarge mediastinal LNs following pnumonia
- tetanus
How is gaseous bloat treated?
Stomach tube or rumen puncture
Give 2 types of rumen puncture tools
Red Devils trocar and cannula or normal
What must be remembered with red devils trocar?
take the cap off
What are the 3 landmarks for rumen puncture?
tuber coxae (wing of ileum)
tranverse processes
last rib
What surgery can be performed to relieve bloat?
Rumenotomy
What is traumatic reticulo-peritonitis also called? What may this lead to?
- Wire or hardware disease
- Local/diffuse peritonitis, pericarditis, liver abscess
What may be found incidentally on abdo surgery?
Marks from local peritonitis - cattle v good at isolating infection (cf. horses etc.)
What are common causes of hardware disease?
Wire from tyres (silage clamps), bales, nails
- TMR means many cows may be affected at once
What are the clinical signs of reticulo-peritonitis
- vague numerous presentations
- v milk yield and appetite
- ^ temp
- arching back
- v rumen contraction rate and reticulorumen movement reduced or painful
- jugular pulse over 1/3 of the way up the neck
- splashing sounds over heart
- withers pinch test (should drop, not grunt/resist)
- pole test (under shoulders)
- eric williams test
What is the Eric Williams test?
Two types of rumen cycle:
- reticulum-rumen no eructation
- rumen only with eructation
- pain just before 1 starts (grunt, hold breath, shuffle feet)
How may reticulo-peritonitis be treated?
- tie animal with front feet raised
- parenteral antibiotics 5-7d
- pain relief
>rumenotomy to remove wire
>slaughter
Give 5 causes of pings heard in the abdomen
LDA, RDA, torsion of abomasum, ceacal dilatation + torsion, gas in spiral colon [not pathological]
Where does the abomasum lie in the healthy cow?
Ventral and slightly to the right
Which is more common. LDA or RDA?
LDA - RDA rarer but more serious
Which cows are predisposed to LDA?
High yielding dairy cows, within 6 weeks of calving (but can occour in any class)
What are the causes of LDA?
Poorly understood - poor management over transition period (dry->post calving period) - ^ concentrate diet - insufficient fibre - diet changes too quickly - other diseases (milk fever, RFM) - genetics >VFAs spill into abomasum
What are the clinical signs of LDA?
- may be mild initially
- v milk yield
- changed apetite sometimes (v concentrate but maintain forage intake)
- raised ketone levels in blood and urine
- loss of body conditions, v rumen contractions
- pings on left flank
What two sounds may be heard in a LDA?
Ping, tinkle
How may LDA be treated?
- rolling
- roll and toggle
- R flank omentopexy
- L flank omentopexy
- R paramedian abomasopexy
other than LDA, what may cause left sided pings?
Bloat, rumen collapse, vagal indigestion, pneumoperitoneum
Why may RDA be more serious?
Abomasal torsion or volvulus - acute intestinal obstruction, blood supply compromised, ischeamic necrosis
How may RDA be diagnosed?
- right sided ping paralumbar fossa
- sick
- shocked
- dehydrated
- pain
How is RDA treated?
Emergency surgery or euthanasia
Which disease has similar predisposing factors and clinical signs to LDA?
Ceacal dilatation - rectal examination = ceacal apex palpable coming into pelvic inlet (sausage pointing towards you)
- free caudal end may twist -> volvulus
How may ceacal dilatation be treated?
Medical fluids, high fibre diet, surgery
How may ceacal volvulus be treated?
Drain surgically, exteriorise, pack abdomen, incise apex and drain
What may cause a non pathological ping in the RIGHT paralumbar fossa?
Gas in spiral colon
What may cause right sided pings?
RDA, abomasal dilation or volvulus, ceacal dilatation or volvulus, gas in spiral colon, uterine tear at calving, ruptured abomasal ulcer
Where would aright abomasal torsion be located?
More cranial and ventral cf. normal displacement
