Reticuloruminal Disorders Flashcards
What are the 2 types of bloat?
- Free gas bloat
- Frothy bloat
What is a free gas bloat?
- A manifestation of an underlying primary disorder
- Sporadically occurs in one animal
What is a frothy bloat?
- Primary disease where ruminal gases are trapped in small bibles within abnormally viscous digest –> depends on feed
What are common causes of fre gass bloat? Frothy bloat?
- Free gas bloat is usually caused by choke
- Frothy bloat caused by alfalfa
What are the clinical signs of bloat?
- Left sided assymetrical distension around the paralumbar fossa
- Abdominal discomfort (restlessness, abdominal kicking, rolling)
- Increased HR and RR –> animals can die of asphyxiation
- Acute cases have death within hours
How do you diagnose bloat?
- Clinical signs and passing an orogastric tube
How do you treat bloat?
- Trocharize or rumenotomy for emergencies
- Free gas –> stomach tube release
- Frothy bloat - polaxanene, vegetable oil, dactyl sodium sulfosuccinate
How do you control and prevent bloat?
- Free gas bloat –> treat chronic with temporary rumenotomy, treat underlying problem (esophageal obstruction –> evaluate rumen fluid, esophageal endoscopy, reticular US, exploratory laparatomy/ rumenotomy)
- Frothy bloat –> change grazing and diets, give poloxalene, ionophores
What are the different types of rumen indigestion?
- Simple/ primary –> has acute onset, due to diet change causes rapid decline in rumen fermentation
- Secondary –> chronic, due to some other disease
What are the clinical signs of primary rumen indigestion? Secondary?
- Primary –> acute anorexia with rumen hypomotility-atony, diarrhea
- Secondary –> rumen atony, underfilled rumen, depressed fecal production, maybe diarrhea
How do you treat rumen indigestion?
- self- correcting in mild cases
- Rumen transfaunation (adjust due to patient’s feed), take at least 3 L (8-16L is best), repeat 2-3 days
- Increase rumen fill 20-30L with Na, K salts, propylene glycol, niacin, alfalfa pellets
What is rumen acidosis?
- Increased lactic acid production (poorly absorbed compared to VFAs
Which isomer is poorly metabolized in the body resulting in metabolic acidosis?
L isomers
What is the pathogenesis of rumen acidosis?
- Lactic acid accumulates in rumen raises osmolarity/ fluid sequestration in rumen
- GI content abnormalities inhibit motility
What are the clinical signs of rumen acidosis?
- incoordination and ataxia, weakness/ depression, anorexia (rumen stasis, pain, dehydration), laminitis, sudden death syndrome
How does rumen acidosis cause CNS signs?
- Gram negatives die, resulting in endotoxemia and histamine release
What is the prognosis of rumen acidosis?
- Acid damages mucosal surfaces
- Blood vessels thrombose, causing bacterial invasion, liver abscesses, mycotic rumenitis
- Destroys rumenal mucosa
What does SARA stand for?
Sub-acute rumen acidosis
What are the clinical signs of SARA?
Reduced DMI, diarrhea, lameness, low
milk fat test, rumen stasis, etc
What 2 groups of cattle are at risk for SARA?
Fresh cows and high intake
cows
How can you diagnose rumen acidosis?
- pH of Rumen fluid <4
- SARA (<5.5)
- Metabolic acidosis
How do you treat rumen acidosis?
Mild cases self-resolve
Severe cases:
• Successful tx limited
• Emptying of rumen by oral lavage/rumenotomy
• Oral administration of rumen buffers (Magnesium
carbonate or magnesium hydroxide)
• Fluids to correct dehydration and acidosis
How do you manage rumen acidosis?
Allow diet adjustment times
Feed enough roughage/ fiber
Manage feed consumption/ give ionophores
What is rumenitis?
- Inflammatory changes in the rumen mucosa and underlying tissues in cattle fed high
energy rations with inadequate roughage - Includes liver abscesses and laminitis
- Can affect up to 100% of herd
What bacteria is responsible for liver lesions?
Fusobacterium necrophorum
What are the clinical signs of rumenitis?
- Sometimes asymptomatic
- Chronic laminitis
- Weight loss/ inappetence
How do you diagnose Rumenitis?
- Check rumen fluid pH
How do you treat/ prevent rumenitis?
Modify roughage ratio
Alter feeding intervals
Antibiotics?
How can you detect that cows are extensively mixing their own feed?
Look at the manure of identically fed cattle
What are the clinical signs of traumatic reticulopericarditis?
- Elbow abduction
- Brisket edema
- “Washing machine” heart sounds
How can you diagnose TRP?
Grunt test (will normally drop to knees) or lift sternum
- Increased fibrinogen (acute) and globulin (chronic)
- Neutrophilia
- Metabolic alkalosis
- Chloride in rumen
- Abdominocentesis ( increased WBCs/ PMNs)
- Foreign body on radiograph
- US
- Exploratory laparotomy
How do you treat TRP?
- Medically –> give magnet, NSAIDs, fluids, rest
- Surgicaly –> remove penetrating object, drain abscess
What is the prognosis of TR?
- 60% survive when uncomplicated
- 35% when TRP-AD (omasal)
- 10% when TRP-PD (abomasal)
What is Type 1 vagus indigestion?
- Failure to eructate –> free gas bloat and ruminal distention
- Due to vagus nerve damage via TRP
What is Type II vagus indigestoin/ omasal transport failure?
- Omasum can’t move food aborally from reticulum to abomasum
- Can occur from vagal nerve damage via mycoticomastitis, reticular abscesses, localised adhesions
What is type III vagal indgestion/ abomasal obstruction?
• Primary impaction due to dry feed with limited
water
• Secondary impaction due to disturbances in
motility or pyloric outflow failure
• Following TRP, Right Displaced Abomasum
What is type IV vagal indigestion/ late gestation indigestion
- Motility is altered when the abomasum is displaced from an enlarged uterus during pregnancy
What are the clinical signs of vagus indigestion?
Chronic progressive weight loss with abdominal distention/ papple shape
How do you diagnose vagus indigestion?
Rule out other diseases
How do you treat vagus indigestion?
Supportive care
