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
