Cow abdominal pain

Question 1

What is rumen acidosis and its causes and treatment?

Answer 1

Cause: sudden ingenstion of lots of fermentable carbohydrates
Signs: dull, recumbent, ataxia, anorexia, blind, dehydrated, laminitis, rumen stasis, abdominal distension, high pulse
Treat: IV sodium bicarb, IV isotonic NaCl, oral magnesium hydroxide, rumenotomy

Question 2

What is SARA?

Answer 2

Sub acute rumen acidosis
Herd syndrome : low milk fat, low yield, high cull rate, low appetite, liver abcess, laminitis, haemoptysis and epistaxis from thrombosis of caudal VC

Question 3

How would you diagnose rumen bloat?

Answer 3

distension of left flank, dyspnoea, distressed, recumbent

Question 4

What are the two types of bloat?

Answer 4

Frothy bloat

Gaseous bloat

Question 5

What is frothy bloat?

Answer 5

Stable foam forms in rumen that cant be eructated.

From eating rich lush pasture

Treat : antifoaming agents / surfactant and sit in sternal recumbancy so can eructate

Question 6

What is gaseous bloat?

Answer 6

From excessive carbs, oesophogeal obstruction, milk fever, lateral recumbancy

Treat: stomach tube , trocar

Question 7

What is traumatic reticulo - peritonitis more commonly know as?

Answer 7

Hardware disease

Question 8

What is reticulo - peritonitis?

What are the signs, tests and treatment?

Answer 8

Something penetrated reticulum that can cause local/diffuse peritonitis, pericarditis, liver abcesses

Signs: low milk, low appetite, high temp, arched back, less rumen movement, high jugular pulse, splashing sounds over heart

Test: Withers pinch, pole test, Eric williams test

Treat: raise front feet, antibiotics, rumenotomy, slaughter

Question 9

LDA - cause , sigsn, disgnosis, treat

Answer 9

Cause : poor transition management, high concentrate diet, low fibre, fast diet change, milk fever, genetics

Abomasum enlarges with fluid/gas and drags omentum down with it so when open on the R the omentum is pulled very tightly

Signs: low milk, low appetite, high ketons, low rumen contraction

Diagnose: ping and tinkle

Treat: rolling, L/R flank omentopexy, R paramedian abomasopexy

Question 10

LHS pings?

Answer 10

LDA
bloat
rumen collapse
vagal indigestion
pneumoperitoneum

Question 11

RDA - problem, signs, treat

Answer 11

dilates and can then twist and get volvulus and ischemic necrosis

Signs: sick, shocked, dehydrated, in pain

Teat: surgery or slaughter

Question 12

Right pings?

Answer 12

Caecal dilation 
Caecal volvulus
Gas in spiral colon (not clinically significant)
Uterine tear at calving
ruputured abomasal ulcer

Question 13

What is the point of salivation?

Answer 13

buffers rumen

Question 14

What is the consequence of rumen fermentation?

Answer 14

cellulose - VFA (mainly acetate - milk fat)

Question 15

What happens when rumen ph drops?

Answer 15

normally between 6.2 - 7

low when lots of starch and sugar (conc) - propionate, butyrate and lactate

Question 16

How does a RH omentopexy work?

Answer 16

incise on R paralumbar fossa and reach round behind the omentum and locate the abomasum on the LHS

if needed deflate the abomasum with a needles, then pull back round into position

suture into incision site with a piece of omentum

Question 17

What is the roll and toggle method?

Answer 17

Sedate the cow and lay her on her L, then roll her onto her back so her abomasum filled with gas floats up. Nothing to stop it going back to L so put in two toggles through into abomasum using a trochar just slightly to right of the midline and tie the attached suture material together