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BVetMed3 Alimentary > Cow With Abdominal Pain > Flashcards

Cow With Abdominal Pain Flashcards

1
Q

What is the optimum pH for rumen function?

Why?

A

6.2-7 (slightly acidic pH)

Organisms digesting cellulose operate best at this pH. DO NOT FUNCTION below this pH.

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2
Q

What is the main VFA produced at normal pH?

What does this make?

A

Acetate

Milk fat

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3
Q

What percentage of fat in milk would suggest a healthy rumen?

A

4%

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4
Q

What foods result in a decreased rumen pH?

How does this affect rumen microorganisms?

A

Starch and Sugar (digestion)

Organisms which are tolerant to lower pH predominate.

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5
Q

What VFAs are produced by organisms which can tolerate a slightly lower pH than optimal?

A

Proprionate and Butyrate

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6
Q

What is produced by organisms which can tolerate a very low pH?

What does this lead to?

A

Lactate

Rumen acidosis and rumen stasis

BACTERIAL POPULATION CHANGES

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7
Q

Why is salivation important in cows?

A

Buffering system in rumen

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8
Q

Why can saliva act as a buffering system?

A

Contains bicarbonate

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9
Q

How is saliva produced in cows?

A

By chewing and ruminating encouraged by fibre in diet.

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10
Q

What management factors promote rumination?

A

Fibre in diet,

Comfortable housing

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11
Q

How long do cows need to spend ruminating?

A

14 hours per day

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12
Q

What is usually the cause of acute ruminal acidosis?

A

Sudden ingestion of large amounts of fermentable carbohydrates.
E.g. animals breaking into feed stores, over feeding of concentrates, sudden lack of forage or straw bedding.

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13
Q

How serious is acute ruminal acidosis?

A

LIFE THREATENING CLINICAL EMERGENCY

Poor prognosis

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14
Q

What are the clinical signs associated with rumen acidosis?

A

Dull and/or recumbent

In-coordination / ataxia

Anorexia, blind, dehydration

Laminitis - sore, hot feet

Rumen stasis and abdominal distension

Dehydrated, increased pulse, sunken eyes

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15
Q

How can you treat rumen acidosis?

A

Sodium bicarbonate in IV

isotonic IV fluids

Oral Magnesium Hydroxide

Rumenotomy/ rumen lavage

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16
Q

What does a rumenotomy involve?

A

Empty rumen contents out

—— is it worth doing?

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17
Q

What does SARA stand for?

A

Sub
Acute
Rumen
Acidosis

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18
Q

Who is affected by SARA?

A

herd

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19
Q

How can milk be used to detect SARA?

A

Milk fat percentage lower than 4,

Lower milk yields

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20
Q

Why might it be difficult to detect SARA from average herd milk fat percentage?

A

Some members of the herd may not be affected therefore may raise the overall percentage.

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21
Q

What clinical signs are associated with SARA?

A

Low milk fat and depressed yield

Laminitis
Reduced appetite 
Liver abscesses 
Haemoptysis 
Epistaxis
High herd culling rate
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22
Q

What is meant by the terms haemoptysis and epistaxis? Why are they associated with SARA?

A

Haemoptysis = coughing up blood (due to bleeding into lungs)

Epistaxis = nose bleed

Caused by thrombosis of causal vena cava

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23
Q

Why are liver abscesses associated with SARA?

A

Bacteria can cross the rumen wall into the liver

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24
Q

What abdominal observations are associated with rumen bloat?

How could these indicate severity?

A

Distension of LEFT FLANK

Mild - Left sub lumbar fossa
More severe - distension of whole left flank

VERY severe - entire abdomen distended

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25
Q

What other clinical signs could be associated with bloat?

A

Sudden death
Distress, dyspnoea
Recumbency

May be standing quietly with distended left flank.

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26
Q

What are the two types of bloat?

A

Frothy bloat

Free gas bloat

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27
Q

What happens in frothy bloat?

A

Stable foam forms in rumen

This traps gas which therefore cannot be eructated out.

28
Q

What management factors contribute to frothy bloat?

A

Cattle at pasture - caused by foaming properties of SOLUBLE LEAF PROTEINS

Turning cows out on to lush pasture when they are very hungry

Cereal rich diets

29
Q

What plants are associated with frothy bloat?

A

Legumes, clovers, alfalfa and rich lush pastures (especially if cows hungry)

30
Q

Describe the onset of frothy bloat.

A

Can be sudden and severe - potentially SUDDEN DEATH

Cows can die overnight after being turned out onto lush pasture

31
Q

How can you treat frothy bloat?

A

CLINICAL EMERGENCY

Remove cattle from pasture/food source

Treat ORALLY with antifoaming agent e.g. mineral oil / corn oil (cooking oil)
-this allows foam to disperse.

Sit cow in sternal recumbency

32
Q

What oral treatments can be given for frothy bloat?

A

Proloxalene (Bloat guard)
Mineral oil/ corn oil
Simethicone (BIRP)

33
Q

How could management techniques be used to prevent frothy bloat?

A

Careful pasture management

Care when turning out onto lush pastures, especially those with lots of clovers

Consider strip grazing or buffer feeding to prevent rapid intake of large quantities of lush pasture.

34
Q

What is buffer feeding?

A

Feeding hay/silage before turning out after milking.

Animals don’t go out to pasture starving so less likely to gorge.

35
Q

What are the potential causes of free gas bloat?

A

Excessive carbohydrate intake

Oesophageal obstruction

Milk fever

Lateral recumbency

36
Q

How can milk fever cause free gas bloat?

A

Hypocalcaemia

Stops rumen turning

37
Q

How can lateral recumbency cause free gas bloat?

A

Blocks cardiac sphincter

38
Q

What can cause an oesophageal obstruction (CHOKE)?

A

Lesions of the oesophageal groove

  • Vagus indigestion
  • Actinobacillus

Enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes (e.g. following pneumonia)

Tetanus

39
Q

How can you treat free gas bloat?

A

Stomach tube

Rumen puncture

40
Q

How would you perform rumen puncture?

A

Use (Red Devil) trocar and cannula

Draw a triangle between tuber coxae and top of last rib,

Make a small hole with a scalpel in the middle of the triangle, and put the trocar in.

41
Q

How might you perform a rumenotomy?

A

Make an incision in the rumen

Stitch the rumen to the body wall

Evacuate rumen contents

42
Q

Where do metal objects tend to stay if eaten by a cow?

A

The reticulum

43
Q

What ‘normal’ metal objects might you find in the reticulum at the abattoir?

A

Worming boluses

Magnets

44
Q

What might happen if a cow eats a sharp metal object?

A

May penetrate the wall of the reticulum

This can lead to:

Local and diffuse peritonitis
Pericarditis
Liver abscess

45
Q

What clinical signs may be associated with traumatic reticulo-peritonitis?

A 
Vague and numerous presentations:
Drop of milk yield and appetite 
Increased temperature 
Arching of back 
Reduced rumen contraction
Reduced reticulo-rumen movements (mixing cycle)
Marked jugular pulse
Splashing sounds over heart
46
Q

What might cause splashing sounds over the heart?

A

Pericardial fluid

47
Q

How could you diagnose traumatic reticulo-peritonitis?

A

Withers Pinch

Pole test

Eric Williams test

48
Q

How could a Withers pinch tell you if a patient has traumatic reticulo-peritonitis?

A

When withers pinched, patient will dip down

If pain when dipping down (grunting), reticulum is sore

49
Q

How would you perform the pole test?

A

Put metal bar behind front legs and lift

If pain seen, reticulum sore

50
Q

What are the two types of rumen cycle?

A

Reticulum-rumen, no eructation

Rumen only with eructation.

51
Q

What is the Eric Williams test?

A

If pain is seen before the reticulum-rumen phase of the rumen cycle, TRP

Look for grunting, holding breath, shuffling feet.

52
Q

How might you treat TRP?

A

Conservative
— tie animal up with front feet higher than back feet
— Parentral antibiotics
— Analgesics

Rumenotomy to remove wire

Slaughter

53
Q

Why might bolus magnets not be successful in preventing TRP?

A

Only magnetic metals get picked up

54
Q

Where does the abomasum usually sit?

A

Ventrally, just to the right of the midline

55
Q

What animals are prone to LDAs?

A

High producing dairy cows

Within 6 weeks of calving

56
Q

What can cause a LDA?

A

Poor management over TRANSITION PERIOD - dry to post calving period

High concentrate diet
Insufficient fibre 
Diet changed too quickly
Milk fever or retained foetal membranes (RFM)
Genetic factors
57
Q

What clinical signs may be associated with an LDA?

A

Signs may be mild initially but highly variable.

Drop in milk yield
Changed appetite
Raised ketone levels in blood and urine
Reduced BCS and rumen contractions

58
Q

How could you diagnose a LDA?

A

Place stethoscope and flick over whole left flank
PING

Place stethoscope on caudal ventral abdomen and shake
TINKLE

59
Q

How can you treat a LDA?

A

Rolling the cow
Roll and toggle
Right or left flank omentopexy
Right paramedian abomasopexy

60
Q

What, other than a LDA, can cause a left sided ping?

A

Bloat
Rumen collapse
Vagal indigestion
Pneumoperitoneum

61
Q

Why might a RDA be more severe than a LDA?

A

Can twist, resulting in abomasal torsion or volvulus

This causes acute intestinal obstruction, compromising of blood supply and ischaemic necrosis.

62
Q

How might a cow with an RDA present?

A

Sick
Shocked
Dehydrated
In pain

63
Q

How would you treat a cow with a RDA?

A

Surgery within hours or slaughter on humane grounds.

64
Q

What can cause right sided pings?

A

RDA
Abomasal volvulus
Caecal dilation or volvulus
Gas in spiral colon

65
Q

What causes gas in the spiral colon?

A

Sometimes after diarrhoea

NOT CLINICALLY RELEVANT

66
Q

How can you distinguish Caecal dilation from LDA

A

Right ping paralumbar fossa

Rectal examination - can palpate caecal apex coming into pelvic inlet - Sausage coming towards you

67
Q

What can caecal dilation progress to?

A

Free caudal end may twist causing volvulus.

BVetMed3 Alimentary (16 decks)

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