Indigestion in Ruminants 1 Flashcards
Types of primary indigestion, broadly
- Reticuloruminal Motor Disorders or Diseases
of the Rumen Wall - Reticuloruminal Fermentative (Microbial and Biochemical) Disorders
Reticuloruminal Motor Disorders or Diseases
of the Rumen Wall
- 4 common ones
- Obstructive (vagal) indigestion (failure of omasal transport, failure of pyloric outflow, and free gas bloat)
- Obstruction of the cardia
- Obstruction of the reticuloomasal orifice
- Diaphragmatic hernia
Reticuloruminal Fermentative (Microbial and Biochemical) Disorders
- 6 common ones
- Inactivity of rumen microbial flora (caused by poor- quality roughage that leads to rumen impaction)
- Simple indigestion
- Acute ruminal lactic acidosis
- Subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA)
- Rumen alkalosis
- Putrefaction of rumen ingesta
Secondary Indigestion broad categories
- Secondary reticuloruminal motor inactivity
- Secondary reticuloruminal microflora inactivity
- Abomasal reflux
normal ruminal fluid color, consistency, and odor, pH, gram stain of bacteria, chloride concentration
colour: olive, brownish-green
consistency: slightly viscous
odor: aromatic, strong
pH: 6-7 on roughage, 5 - 6.5 on grains
> generally want at least 6.5
gram stain: predominant gram-negative
Chloride: <30 mEq/L
> important for checking internal vomiting
> Mema says maybe more like 25 mEq/L
is indigestion more common in heavily or lightly fed cows?
common in heavily fed cows
what is considered indigestible roughage, that can contribute to indigestion?
■ Low in protein
■ Moldy
■ Overheated
■ Frosted
what types of diets can contribute to indigestion?
■ Dietary abnormalities
■ Indigestible roughage
■ Excesses of grain and concentrate
■ Sudden change in grain
> from oat to what or barley
■ Straw
■ Bedding or scrub fed during drought periods
■ Good quality ensilage (if unlimited access)
■ Depraved appetite
what change in water intake can contribute to indigestion?
■ Limited drinking water
pathogenesis of how dietary abnormalities can cause indigestion? number one thing we notice?
dietary abnormalities > primary atony
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we dont hear any sounds
pathogenesis of how different pH foods can cause indigestion
Grain (low pH) + high protein diets (high pH)
> atony
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We dont hear any sounds
clinical findings of indigestion
■ Decreased appetite
■ Mild drop in milk production
■ Anorexia
■ Dullness (mild)
■ No rumination
■ Ruminal movements:
> Depressed in frequency and amplitude
> Absent in some cases
■ Rumen may be larger
■ Tympany
■ More common: firm, doughy without distention
■ Reduced fecal output/dry feces
■ Progress to diarrhea: voluminous/mal odorous
clinical tests for rumen fluid with indigestion
■ Intestinal microbiota
■ Sediment activity test
■ Cellulose digestion test
■ pH (6.5-7.0 normal)
urine sign from indigestion?
ketone bodies
differential diagnosis for indigestion
■ Acetonemia
■ TRP
■ Grainoverload
■ LDA
■ Right-side dilation of abomasum
■ Abomasal volvulus
■ Vagal indigestion
■ Phytobezoars
■ Systemic diseases: Septisemia/toxemia, hypocalcemia, anaphylactic reactions
treatment options for indigestion
■ Spontaneous recovery: No treatment
■ Rumen lavage
■ Rumenatorics
> Nux vomica, ginger, tartar emetic: ?
■ Parasympathomimetics
> Carbamylcholine, physostigmine, neostigmine
■ Alkalinazing and Acidifying agents
> Magnesium hydroxide
> Acetic acid / vinager (5-10L)
■ Re-establishing of the ruminal microflora
> Transfaunation
what is Obstructive indigestion syndrome (vagal indigestion, Hoflund’s syndrome):
■ a group of motor disturbances that hinder passage of ingesta out of the reticulorumen or abomasum or both
■ It is a syndrome, meaning a constellation of signs of disease, but with diverse potential causes
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This syndrome must be thought of as a complex or set of signs secondary to a primary lesion at some point along the course of the vagus nerve - but sometimes damage to vagal nerve is not clear, or maybe not present?…….
etiology of vagal indigestion / obstructive indigestion syndrome? what are the 4 categories of things that can cause it?
Outflow Disorders:
■ Extra-luminal causes
> Adhesions, abscesses, distortion of esophageal groove
■ Intra-luminal causes
> Foreign bodies (placenta), straw
■ Intra-mural causes
> Neoplasia, inflammatory abscesses, granulomas
■ Neurogenic lesions
> Adhesions
> Lesions affecting tension receptors in medial wall of reticulum
connection of liver abscessation to cessation of transport of digesta through the omasum? clinical signs?
- Clinical signs: abdominal distention and bradycardia
- Medical therapy had not been effective
> vagal indigestion resulting from liver abscessation in dairy cows
perireticular abscess connection to failure of omasal transport? clinical signs?
■ Anorexia, hypogalactia, and bilateral abdominal distention.
- Traumatic reticulo peritonitis was believed to be the cause
> vagal indigestion
differential diagnosis in cattle with a chronic inflammatory process, cranial peritonitis, or vagal indigestion? how to solve?
- Liver abscesses
- Prolonged treatment with antimicrobials might be successful.
traumatic reticlupoeritonitis - common causes? how it can result in vagal indigestion?
- controversial
- cows eat eg. metals, cause:
> vagal nerve injury
> reticular adhesions
> other?
> > vagal indigestion
why has the vagal nerve injury theory for ‘vagal indigestion’ been disputed?
■ Cases of vagal indigestion may have extensive adhesions between reticulum and adjacent organs:
■ But:
■ Little evidence of nerve injury
■ May occur in cases with no evidence of serosa inflammation
Naturally occurring syndrome = to Hoflund’s syndrome (vagus nerve sectioning)
- how is this related to anterior and posterior stenosis?
■ Anterior Stenosis (achalasia of the reticulo-omasal orifice)
> No passage of ingesta from reticulo-rumen to omasum- abomasum
> Dorsal vagal nerve branch injury
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■ Posterior stenosis (achalasia of the pylorus)
> Inhibition of abomasum flow (resulting in impaction)
> Ventral vagal nerve branch injury
probably the most important cause of ‘vagal indigestion’
- Mechanical impartment of reticular motility and esophageal groove dysfunction
> Disturbance of particle-separation process (2nd to TRP)
Mechanical impartment of reticular motility and esophageal groove dysfunction
- this is an important cause of vagal indigestion
- is there evidence of corresponding nerve damage? what can cause the disease?
- No histological evidence of nerve damage
- Peri-reticular abscesses near the reticulo-omasal orifice can cause the disease
4 less common causes of ‘vagal indigestion’
■ Actinobacillosis of rumen and reticulum
■ Fibropapiloma of the cardia
> Mechanical obstruction of the esophagus
■ Pyloricachalasia
■ Indigestion of late pregnancy
in what cows is vagal indigestion common?
- common in cows with history of traumatic reticuloperitonitis
- Also occur in beef cows and mature bulls
clinical signs of vagal indigestion / obstruction?
Vague” signs:
■ Slow loss of production
■ Slow weight loss
■ Poor appetite
■ Scant, pasty feces
■ Abdominal enlargement - “papple” shape
■ Rumen hyper motility
■ Bradycardia
Clinical signs Omasal transport failure
- rumen appearance and contractions? fecal output? possible sequelae?
■ Inappetance with distention of the rumen (left flank)
■ Rumen assume an L-shape (papple shape)
■ Reduced fecal output
■ Rumen still contract in most cases/some have complete atony
■ No stratification → leads to frothy bloat
Vagal paralysis may affect ingesta flow into the omasum by two mechanisms:
■ Paralyzed or relaxed esophageal groove blocks flow into the omasum
■ Lack of pumping action of the omasum to draw fluid through the reticulo-omasal orifice
Clinical signs Pyloric outflow failure
- where do we see distension?
- stratification of ingesta? what is going on in the forestomachs?
- fecal output?
- other metabolic conditions?
■ Advance cases will present reticulo-rumen distention
■ Motility of forestomachs is not markedly affected → stratification of ingesta is maintained
■ Overfilling of the forestomachs can occur due to abomasal reflux (internal vomiting)
■ Dehydration, hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis
■ Decreased fecal output
what part of the body will bulge in vagal indigestion vs abomasal impaction?
vagal indigestion - bulge around the whole body except top right
abomasal impaction - bulge in bottom right only
what will we wee on a hemogram for traumatic reticloperitonitis? biochem? another sign that could indicate?
hemogram: neutrophilia, with left shift and monocytosis
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Biochem: Metabolic hypochloremia, hypokalemic alkalosis (abomasal impactions)
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Peritoneal fluid
Rumen chloride concentrations
- what is normal?
- what indicates posterior stenosis?
- what indicates indigestion of late pregnancy?
■ <30 mmol/L (normal)
■ >40 mmol/L (posterior stenosis)
■ 66 mmol/L (indigestion of late pregnancy)
how do we treat vagal indigestion?
■ Rumen lavage
■ Rumenotomy to remove contents
■ Treat reticular abscesses/adhesions
■ Lymphosarcoma (no Tx)
