Cow Abdominal Problem Flashcards
What is TMR?
TMR - perfect balance of grains, carbs, proteins, minerals
Cow eats full bites of mix (rather than sorting)
What are the 3 major causes of abdominal problems in cows?
Rumenal acidosis
Rumen bloat
Hardwire disease (traumatic reticulo-peritonitis)
What is the average volume of a cow’s rumen?
180-200 liters
What is the primary function of the rumen?
Cellulose digestion
What pH do organisms that digest cellulose typically function at? Below which pH do they not function normally?
6.2-7 (below 6.2 = dysfunction)
What is the main VFA produced at normal pH in the cow rumen? What part of the milk does this impact?
Acetate = Milk Fat
Digestion of what dietary components results in pH decrease?
Starch and sugar digestion
Which VFA’s predominate when starch and sugar digestion increases/pH decreases?
Propionate and butyrate as a result of an increase in organisms which are tolerant to a lower rumenal pH
What VFA is produced at an EVEN LOWER rumenal pH and how does that affect the function of the rumen?
Lactate produced at an even lower pH
Leads to rumen acidosis and Rumen stasis
What is the basis for the changes in VFA production in the rumen (Hint - what changes)?
pH changes which lead to bacterial population changes?
What is the main buffering system for the cow’s rumen?
Saliva
How many liters of saliva does a cow produce per day? What component of the saliva maintains the rumen pH close to neutral?
100-150 liters of saliva/day
bicarbonate maintains rumen pH close to neutral
How does a cow produce saliva? What dietary component encourages saliva production?
Produced by chewing/ruminating
Encouraged by fiber in diet
What does a cow NEED in order to produce an adequate amount of saliva per day (behavioral)?
Needs to be comfortable, laying down, comfortable housing, 14 hours per day
What is acute ruminal acidosis and how is this caused?
Usually caused by sudden ingestion of large amounts of fermentable carbohydrates
Examples:
Animals breaking into feedstores
Overfeeding of concentrates by farmer/staff
Sudden lack of forage or straw bedding
How severe is acute ruminal acidosis? What is the prognosis? How common is this?
Poor prognosis
Uncommon, extreme end of spectrum of typical presentation of disease
Life threatening clinical emergency
What are the clinical signs associated with acute ruminal acidosis? What is the prognosis?
Dull and/or recumbent
Incoordination/ataxia - “drunk” gait
Anorexia, Blindness
Laminitis
Rumen stasis and/or abdominal distension
Dehydration, increased pulse, sunken eyes
Guarded/poor prognosis
What is the typical treatment for acute ruminal acidosis?
5% sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) slow IV - 5L per 450kg over 30 mins
- Can use any kind of base
IV fluids (isotonic) NaCl 150ml/kg over 6-12 hours
- Difficult to do, lack of fluid volume, difficult to keep IV in place
Oral Magnesium hydroxide 500g/450kg
What is the last-ditch effort procedure available for treatment of ruminal acidosis? How successful is this option?
Rumenotomy and/or rumen lavage
Not clean procedure, not a good outcome, very invasive, probably better to cull
What is SARA?
Sub acute rumen acidosis
Is SARA an individual or a herd problem? How well defined is SARA?
SARA is an ill-defined herd syndrome
List the typical clinical herd signs associated with SARA?
Low milk fat and depressed milk yields
Laminitis (solar ulcers, solar hemorrhages)
Reduced appetite
Liver abscesses (PM finding)
Hemoptysis/Epistaxis
High herd culling rate
How does hemoptysis/epistaxis occur as a result of SARA?
Occurs due to thrombosis of caudal vena cava
Ruminal acidosis may induce rumenitis, thereby allowing for bacterial translocation, which form liver abscesses and can form a septic thrombus. As emboli break away from the thrombus, they often travel to the lungs and/or heart and cause embolic pneumonia and sometimes endocarditis. The emboli in the pulmonary vessels may lead to the formation of aneurisms which often rupture resulting in hemoptysis and/or epistaxis, clinical signs which characterize SARA. Sudden death, with or without clinical signs, is a common outcome in severely affected animals.
What is hemoptysis? What is epistaxis?
Hemoptysis - coughing up of blood from the mouth due to bleeding in the lungs
Epistaxis - bleeding from the nose
What should you immediately think of if there are repeated bouts of epistaxis/hemoptysis within a herd?
Chronic, sub acute acidosis problem
What is this condition?
What is this condition?
What is this condition?
Rumen Bloat
What are the clinical signs associated with mild vs. severe vs. VERY SEVERE rumenal bloat?
Distension of left flank
Mild - left sublumbar fossa distension
Severe - distension of whole left flank
Very severe - entire abdomen appears distended
How can rumenal bloat present in the most severe cases? How does this occur?
Sudden death - pressure on diaphragm (cannot breathe)
How might the presentation of a cow with rumenal bloat vary?
May appear recumbent
May appear distressed with dyspnea
May be standing quietly with distended left flank
What are the 2 types of bloat?
Frothy bloat
Gaseous or Free Gas Bloat
Describe frothy bloat? What causes this and cows grazing where does this occur mostly to?
Stable foam forms in rumen, bubbles trap gas so cow cannot eructate it out (like bubble bath)
Usually occurs with cattle at lush pasture, caused by foaming properties of soluble leaf proteins
Give some examples of plants which can cause frothy bloat? A diet rich in WHAT can also lead to frothy bloat?
Legumes, clovers, alfalfa, rich lush pastures
Cereal rich diets
What can happen after turning out a bunch of cows onto lush pastures? What can you do to prevent this?
Can be sudden/severe and lead to sudden death of several cows overnight after being turned out on lush pasture
Pre-feed with concentrate prior to turning out so cows are less desperate to eat lush grass when turned out
How serious of a condition is frothy bloat? How do you treat it? What will NOT work in this condition?
Clinical Emergency
Immediately remove cattle from pasture or feed source
Stomach tube/Trochar will not work in this kind of bloat
Need to use antifoaming agent/surfactant to reduce bubbles
- Poloxalene, Mineral oil, Corn oil, Simethicone
How should you position a cow to allow for eructation?
Sit in sternal recumbency if she is down
Otherwise allow her to stand
How can you prevent frothy bloat from occurring?
What is gaseous bloat and what can cause this to occur?
Excess gas trapped in rumen
Causes:
Excessive carbohydrate intakes
Anything causing esophageal obstruction
Milk fever (imbalanced nutrition during transition period)
Why is this position inadequate for a cow with gaseous bloat? How should she be sitting? What might she need to sit herself up?
Lateral recumbency blocks rumen cardia
Should be in sternal recumbency
Give her calcium - she might need it for energy
What is another name for esophageal obstruction? How does this lead to bloat?
Choke - cannot eructate out any gases, get backed up in rumen = bloat
What is vagus indigestion? How does this lead to bloat?
Vagal nerve damage leading to reduced gastric motility/rumen emptying, which results in accumulation of gases = bloat
What is Actinobacillus and how does this lead to bloat?
Causes lesions of the esophageal groove, which leads to gaseous bloat/vomiting of rumen contents
How can pneumonia lead to a cow experiencing bloat?
Enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes which cause an obstruction, leading to bloat
How does tetanus lead to bloat in the cow? What is another name for tetanus?
Lockjaw - because cow cannot open its mouth due to muscle stiffness
Cow may bloat because the rumen has accumulated gas due to inability to swallow and eructate
How do you relieve gas from rumen with gaseous bloat? Is this effective with frothy bloat?
Stomach tube or rumen puncture (trocar)
NOT effective in frothy bloat
Where is the correct location to stab in a trocar/cannula in a cow with gaseous bloat? What do you need to do before pushing in the trocar?
Local anesthetic
Paralumbar fossa
What is the most common sedative used for cows?
Xylazine
What is the only licensed local anesthetic used for cows (and other production animals)?
Procaine
What is another name for traumatic reticulo-peritonitis?
Wire or Hardwire Disease
How does traumatic reticulo-peritonitis occur?
If metal objects are eaten they tend to pass into and remain in the reticulum
Many objects stay here for years and are commonly found in abattoir
Some may penetrate wall of reticulum, causing a variety of damage/problems
What are some common objects which can cause traumatic reticulo-peritonitis?
How are metal objects typically spread to such a wide variety of animals?
Worming boluses
Magnets
Fencing
Metal wires from builders/bales
Wire from tires
Nails/Screws/bolts
TMR wagons spread metal pieces to many animals
Give some examples of problems that traumatic reticulo-peritonitis can cause?
Local or diffuse peritonitis
Pericarditis - if cranial penetration
Liver abscesses - if caudal penetration
What are the clinical signs associated with traumatic reticulo-peritonitis (ie hardwire disease)
Often vague and widely varying presentation
Drop of milk yield, reduced appetite, generalized discomfort, arching of back, increased temperature
Rumen contraction rate down, reticulo-rumen mixing cycle reduced or painful
What are the clinical signs specifically associated with traumatic pericarditis as a result of a wire?
Jugular pulse
Splashing sounds over heart
What are the diagnostic tests you can use to diagnose traumatic reticulo-peritonitis (ie. hardwire disease)?
Withers pinch
Pole Test
Eric Williams Test
What is the Eric Williams Test for diagnosing a wire?
Observe pain just before reticulo-rumen mixing cycle happens - Cow grunts, holds breath, shuffles feet
What is the Withers pinch test for diagnosing a wire?
Pinch cow’s withers fairly hard, normal for her to dip, might cause her more pain than usual if she has a wire
What is the pole test for diagnosing a wire?
2 people lift metal bar up to the cow’s sternum, soreness can suggest that the cow has a wire
What are the treatment options for a cow with a wire?
Conservative - tie animal up with front feet higher than back feet for ~1 week + parenteral abx 5-7 days + pain relief
Rumenotomy - to remove wire if extreme pain
Slaughter
What is this and what can it be used for? What should it not be used for?
What is LDA? What level of production are dairy cows is this associated with?
Left Displaced Abomasum
Normally high producing dairy cows, within 6 weeks of calving
What are the causes of LDA?
Poorly understood
Highly associated with poor management over transition period
What is the transition period?
Dry period to post calving/early lactation - transitioning to being milk producing
What is the transition period?
Dry period to post calving/early lactation - transitioning to being milk producing
What is the transition period?
Dry period to post calving/early lactation - transitioning to being milk producing
What is the most important part of managing a cow during her transition period?
Increase carbohydrates in diet carefully to match her changing energy needs
What are mistakes that can be made during the transition period which can result in LDA?
Too high concentrate
Insufficient fiber
Diet changes made too quickly
What are some diseases/conditions that can result in LDA?
RFM
Milk Fever
Genetic factors
What are the clinical signs associated with LDA?
Signs may be initially mild and highly variable
Drop in milk yield
Reduced or changed appetite
Raised ketone levels in blood/urine (excessive fat mobilization)
Loss of BCS
Reduced rumen contractions
How do you diagnose LDA?
What is the treatment for LDA?
Rolling
Roll and Toggle
Right flank or left flank omentopexy
Right paramedian abomasopexy
What are some other (rare) causes of left sided pings?
Bloat
Rumen collapse (cow not eating, rumen saggy)
Vagal indigestion
Pneumoperitoneum (typically post surgical)
What is milk fever?
Significant decrease in circulating blood calcium (hypocalcemia) - usually occurs around the time of calving
How should you treat milk fever?
Calcium gluconate IV
Oral Calcium bolus
What is RDA and how common is it compared to LDA?
Right displaced abomasum
Much less common than LDA
What are the biggest problems associated with RDA? (Hint - what can RDA become)
RDA can twist to become abomasal torsion or volvulus
What are the clinical signs and consequences of abomasal torsion or volvulus as a result of RDA? How will the cow present? How do you treat a cow in this condition?
Acute intestinal obstruction, blood supply compromise = ischemic necrosis
Cow sick, shocked, dehydrated, in pain
Treat either with surgery (within hours, needs early intervention) or slaughter on humane grounds
What is the prognosis for an animal with torsion or volvulus as a result of RDA?
Very poor prognosis, even with full treatment
Where will you hear a ping associated with cecal dilation?
Ping on right paralumbar fossa
What other condition presents similarly to cecal dilation?
similar predisposing factors to LDA
Clinical signs similar to LDA
How do you diagnose cecal dilation? (Hint - how will it feel on rectal palpation)
Rectal examination - cecal apex palpable coming into pelvic inlet (sausage pointing toward you)?
What can occur if free caudal end of dilated cecum twists?
Volvulus
How do you treat cecal dilation vs volvulus?
Dilation - medical treatment ie. fluids, high fiber diet, surgery if persistent
Volvulus - drain surgically (exteriorize, pack abdomen, incise apex and drain)
Gas in spiral colon causes a ping where?
Right paralumbar fossa
Is gas in spiral colon clinically significant?
Nope
List the most common right vs. left sided pings?
Left side - LDA (some other less common causes)
Right side - RDA, Abomasal volvulus, cecal dilation or volvulus, gas in spiral colon
