Milk drop in a freshly calved cow Flashcards
Milk drop
= unexpected reduction in milk yield
Freshly calved
- generally means calved in the last few weeks (up to ~6w)
- milk drop is a particularly common clinical presentation at this stage in the production cycle due to increased energy demand -> NEB
Ddx - fairly common
- metritis
- LDA
- primary ketosis
- TRP
- mastitis
Ddx - less common
- peritonitis
- RDA
- caecal dilatation (+/- torsion)
- abomasal torsion
- pneumonia (inc. IBR)
Ddx - fairly rare
- salmonellosis
- liver abscess
- endocarditis
- leptospirosis
Ddx that cause pyrexia
usually:
- metritis
- mastitis
- salmonellosis
- pneumonia (inc. IBR)
- leptospirosis
sometimes:
- TRP
- peritonitis (cows are good at walling off local infection so don’t always see pyrexia)
- liver abscess
- endocarditis
- gut and metabolic conditions generally don’t cause pyrexia, but can get pain related pyrexia e.g. with torsion
Ddx that cause decreased/absent rumen turnover
usually:
- LDA
- TRP
- peritonitis
- RDA
- caecal dilatation (+/- torsion)
- abomasal torsion
sometimes:
- metritis
- primary ketosis
- mastitis
- liver abscess
- endocarditis
NB - rumen turnover may be decreased due to anorexia - so any of the ddx possible
Really marked reduced turnover leads you towards GI dz
Ddx that cause a ping on percussion auscultation
- LDA
- RDA
- caecal dilatation (+/- torsion)
- abomasal torsion
= dilated viscous with a clear fluid gas interface
Peritonitis aetiology & epidemiology
Aetiology:
- Acidosis, perforated abomasal ulcer, chronic LDA/RDA, TRP, uterine or vaginal tear
Epidemiology:
- usually sporadic
Peritonitis presentation
- tend to be mild/ chronic cf other species
- +/- abdominal pain
- +/- pyrexia
Peritonitis diagnosis
- Can be challenging/by exclusion for chronic diffuse peritonitis
- Tests for TRP may be positive
- +/- pain on rectal examination (only if site of peritonitis within reach [caudodorsal])
- Clin path: neutropaenia, left shift, incr fibrinogen (not all that consistent)
- Ex lap?
Peritonitis tx
Conservative:
- Antibiotics (>5-7d)
- NSAIDs
- Fluid therapy
Surgical:
- Ex lap – establish cause if possible, debride/lavage
Not a lot known about prevention as sporadic - tend to crop up as individual cases
Caecal dilatation (+/- torsion) aetiology
- poorly understood but possibly associated with decreased GI motility
Caecal dilatation (+/- torsion) presentation/diagnosis
- Typical “sick cow”
- May be colic signs if torsion
- ‘Ping’ caudodorsal R side
- Less common than DA’s
- Flank watching, occasional kicking
- Caecal pings more caudal than RDA
Caecal dilatation (+/- torsion) conservative tx
- NSAIDs
- calcium?
– no evidence calcium changes outcome but unlikely to do any harm
Caecal dilatation (+/- torsion) surgical tx
- (if unresponsive, signs severe or torsion suspected)
- R flank laparotomy, externalise and empty (purse string suture), +/- reposition
Abomasal torsion
- Usually a complication of an RDA (RDA -> torsion), can also be a complication of caecal dilatation
- Reduction in feed intake -> more free abdominal space which can lead to torsion
- Often colic and more severe systemic signs, R side ‘ping’
- Surgical correction – R side laparotomy, empty, reposition and pexy
– Can be really difficult - can bend and twist around multiple different axis and get multiple pockets of fluid - need to empty before fixing but can be tricky due to pockets - Prognosis guarded
– Often euthanised instead of going to surgery
Specific CS with metritis
- purulent vaginal discharge / abnormal discharge
Salmonellosis
- d+ presenting sign
Liver abscess
- can be hard to diagnose and often found as an incidental finding
Leptospirosis
- zoonotic
- don’t tend to diagnose in an individual cow
