Traumatic Reticulitis Flashcards
What are the clinical signs of traumatic reticulitis?
Sudden milk drop Reduced rumenal contractions Pyrexia Hunched up appearance Stiff gait Inappetant, dull and depressed Silage compressed by old tyres
What is the normal rate of rumenal contractions?
3 rumen / reticular contractions in 2 minutes
Describe the difference between primary and secondary rumenal contractions.
Primary contraction = biphasic, mixing contraction
Contraction cranial to caudal
Reticulumn contracts, followed by rumen
Secondary contraction = eructation, pushes gas into cardia
Contraction caudal to cranial
There are normally 2 primary contractions for every secondary contraction
What diagnostic tests can you use for diagnosing traumatic reticulitis?
Eric Williams Test - grunt just before primary contraction
Withers Pinch - cow doesn’t move when withers pinched
Pole test - pain localise to the Reticulumn
Faeces are stiff with more long fibre
Raised white blood cell count = non-specific indicator or inflammation
Neutrophilia with left shift
What results from an Eric Williams Test are suggestive of a wire in the Reticulumn?
- A reduction in primary contractions - more secondary contractions than primary contractions
- Grunt immediately prior to the the primary contraction
- Breath holding before a primary contraction
How can you definitively diagnose a wire in the Reticulumn?
Exploratory Rumenotomy
What are the possible consequences of wire ingestion?
- No penetration - no clinical signs
- Penetration of the Reticulumn = local-reticuloperitonitis
- Medial deviation of the wire = vagal nerve damage
- vagal indigestion
What are the possible distributors of local-reticuloperitonitis?
Ventral / lateral - better prognosis
Medial - damages the vagal nerve and creates abscesses in medial wall
Pericardium - pericarditis
Damage to other organs eg: lungs and spleen
Generalised peritonitis - poorer prognosis
What will an animal with generalised peritonitis show on diagnostic tests?
Withers test positive
Eric Williams positive
Deep palpation exhibits pain
What are the clinical signs of traumatic pericarditis?
Pyrexia Increases pulses Toxaemia Variable heart sounds - early - pericardial friction rub - later - quiet heart sounds - end stage - splashing and gurgling
Signs of heart failure: distended jugular vein, visible jugular pulse, sub-mandibular oedema
Where should you make your incision for a Rumenotomy?
Left sublumbar fossa
How should you close the rumen following a Rumenotomy?
Continuous inverting suture - Cushings or Lembert
What aftercare should you give to a cow following a Rumenotomy?
Antibiotics NSAIDs Return to milk Magnets for others Stop using tyres
What are the two clinical presentations of vagal indigestion?
- Enlarged rumen and bloat - dorsal vagus nerve injury
- Abomasal impaction - pyloric branch of the ventral vagus nerve injury
Reticular adhesions are the most common cause of damage
What are some other causes of vagal indigestion?
Actinobacillosis of the rumen / reticulum
Fibropapillomas of the cardia
Late pregnancy
