Small ruminant health and disease Flashcards
BCS scoring
1-5
1= sharp spine, low muscle/fat
2= sharp spine, little fat but full muscle along rump
3= smooth spine- can feel with pressure, full rump and some fat
4= spine difficult to feel, thick fat cover on rump
5= can’t feel spine, thick fat deposits
what are the 3 types of bloat?
- frothy bloat (primary ruminal tympany or pasture bloat)
- free-gas bloat (secondary ruminal tympany or grain bloat or choke)
- abomasal bloat (abdominal tympany)
1 and 2 occur in mature animals and 3 occurs in lambs/kits under 3 weeks old
frothy bloat
typically occurs during spring/fall from overeating lush legume pastures in vegetative and early bud stages that produce a lot of gas quickly after ingestion causing thick foam to be produced which changes pH and viscosity of rumen fluid
free-gas bloat
caused by foreign body, tumor, posture (animal laying on back and can’t belch properly), grain overload (causes functional issues with rumen)
how can free-gas bloat be prevented?
pasture management and grazing management, oral anti-foaming agents can be given during risk periods, anti-surfactant pasture treatment
can manage grazing by giving animals feed before letting them out in the pastures so they are already more full before grazing
how can indigestion bloat be identified?
by listening to the rumen from the left flank
bloat treatment
pass stomach tube into rumen, gas will escape to relieve pressure, then you can find the obstruction cause
if no gas comes out of tube and foaminess comes out instead then it is a frothy bloat: keep tube in place and administer antifoaming agents (usually mineral oil)
what can cause an abomasal bloat?
caused by bacterial infection of abomasal wall, compromised immunity from inadequate colostrum intake, foreign body ingestion, vitamin/mineral deficiency, poor hygiene, intermittent feeding of large milk volumes
too much milk at one time can slow abomasum, delayed emptying allows more time for sugars in milk to ferment causing abundance of gas to be produced faster than can be released
what should you do if an abomasal bloat occurs and lamb/kid is kept with mom?
separate them and ensure colostrum and nursing, prevent mom from laying down so udders aren’t engorged
feeding cold milk can help reduce bacterial populations or there are fermented milk options available
wean lamb/kid off milk at 30 days to reduce risk too
when is bloat occurrence most likely to happen?
during periods of rapid plant growth in spring or after summer rain
what is an easy way to decrease the risk of bloating?
once an animal is adjusted to a particular feed/pasture they will be less likely to bloat since their rumen microbial population will have adapted
frick speculum
metal tube that holds mouth open so animal can’t chew stomach tube for bloat treatment
copper toxicity in sheep
copper can be found in high amounts in cattle feed but can be toxic to sheep so be careful
TPR normals
T: 101.5-103.5 F
P: 70-90 bpm
R: 12-30 Bpm
how do you find pulse?
place fingertips between animal’s ribs behind elbow
can also be detected on inside of rear leg roughly 1/3 of the way down or on the artery located below and slightly inside of jaw 2/3 to rear of muzzle
where can you listen for a heartbeat?
behind elbow on left side
where can you listen to lung sounds?
lungs located below rib cage, listen between ribs
how do you listen for rumen sounds?
listen in the left paralumbar area
normal: contracts at least once a minute and an eructation should occur every 1-2 minutes
contractions sound like a dull rumble and flank area usually moves with contractions
check for excess gas: sounds like a ping when auscultating
what is the goal of hoof trimming?
to get to the bottom of the foot to match the angle of the coronary band
