Pathology of the Alimentary Tract- Forestomachs Flashcards
What is “frothy bloat” ?
Gas entrapment within ‘froth’ in the rumen
usually due to legume feeding
What is ‘free gas bloat’
inability to eliminate free gas from the rumen
What three things can cause Free gas Bloat?
- Overproduction of free gas
- Failure to eructation
- Functional dysruption to the rumen
What are the 5 clinical signs of rumenal tympany?
- abdominal distension
- Rumenal hypomobility
- Pain, discomfort, Vocalisation
- Tachypnoea
- Recumbancy and death
What is optimal for normal rumen function?
- Normal pH of 6-7 (buffered by saliva)
- Consistent diet
- High levels of cellulose and hemicellulose
- Slow passage of ingesta through the GI tract
- Time to chew cud
What are the risk factors for rumenal acidosis?
- Size of concentrated feeds
- Feeding frequency
- Overall starch levels
- Forage access
- Ration sorting
- Transition
- Cow comfort
What is the aetiology for acute rumenal acidosis?
Grain Overload
What is the aetiology for subacute rumenal acidosis?
- Chronic exposure to high starch levels
- Lack of physically effective NDF
- Herd level problem
What are the three usual pathologies of rumenal acidosis?
- Rumenal tympany
- Diarrhoea
- Rumenitis- inflammation of the rumen wall
What are the clinical signs of acute rumenal acidosis?
- Rumenal tympany and diarrhoea
- Tachyponea
- Recumbancy and death
What are the clinical signs of subacute rumenal acidosis?
- decreased milk production
- decreased milk butterfat score
- Decreased BCS
- Decreased rumination and drropped cuds
- Poor fertility rate
What is the most common abomasal disorder?
Left Displaced Abomasum
What is left displaced abomasum?
Gas-distended abomasum displaced between the left abdominal wall and the rumen
Duodenum then becomes compressed and restricts outflow
Ocassionally intermittent or floating
What are the clinical signs of left displaced abomasum?
- Selective anorexia (refusal to eat concentrates)
- Decrease in milk production
- Decreased rumen fill/ motility
- Extension of the caudal part of the ribcage
How does a right displaced abomasum occur?
- Abomasum floats up on the right hand side
- Rotates over 90/ 180 degrees
- Volvulus/ Torsion
- Obstruction of the blood supply