(B3) Common Non-infectious Disorders of the Alimentary Tract of Ruminants

what causes Rectal Prolapses (7) (Rectal Prolapses)

1. May be secondary to straining from the irritation of coccidiosis

2. Too short tail docking in sheep

3. vaginal or uterine prolapse

4. Use of anabolic agents in growth implants may cause riding each other

5. weakness of rectal support

6. coccidiosis

7. excessive riding from other animals

clinical signs (3) (Rectal Prolapses)

1. Portion of the rectum protruding from the anus

2. Diarrhea possibly with blood

3. Straining

what is temp (Rectal Prolapses)

fever

how to diagnose (2) (Rectal Prolapses)

1. Clinical Signs

2. Fecal examination for coccidia

how to treat (2ish) (Rectal Prolapses)

1. Some will retract once the initial cause is removed.

2. an epidural followed by reduction of the prolapse and the placement of a purse string cotton umbilical tape suture to hold it in.

how to prevent (3) (Rectal Prolapses)

1. Coccidiostat

2. Monitor use of anabolic agents

3. Proper length of tail docking

what causes it (4) (LDA, RDA)

1. Recent parturition

2. Excess build-up of gas

3. Rumen hypomotility

4. Deepchested Holsteins

clinical signs (3) (LDA, RDA)

1. Lack of appetite

2. Decreased milk production

3. TPR can be normal

how to diagnose (5) (LDA, RDA)

1. Physical exam

2. Characteristic ping on auscultation

3. Fever

4. Tachycardia

5. Melena

how to treat (LDA, RDA)

1. Rolling

2. Surgery (abomasopexy)

how to prevent (LDA, RDA)

Avoid rapid diet changes

what causes it (4) (Intestinal Twists)

1. Idiopathic

2. Overeating and exercise

3. Parasites

4. Obstruction

clinical signs (Intestinal Twists)

1. Extreme colic

2. Kicking at belly

3. Rolling

4. Getting up and down

5. Increased HR

6. increased RR

how to diagnose (3) (Intestinal Twists)

1. Physical exam

2. Exploratory surgery

3. Necropsy

how to treat (Intestinal Twists)

surgery

clinical signs (Copper Toxicity / Deficiency)

1. Anorexia

2. Depression

3. Diarrhea

4. Weakness

5. Death

how to diagnose (Copper Toxicity / Deficiency)

1. Increased copper concentrations in serum

2. Anemia

3. Hyperbilirubinemia

4. Increased liver enzymes

5. Azotemia

6. Isosthenuria

how to treat (6) (Copper Toxicity / Deficiency)

1. Supportive care for renal failure and anemia

2. Ammonia tetrathiomolybdate

3. D-penicillamine

4. The rest of the flock should be treated with ammonium molybdate and sodium thiosulfate

when does copper accumulate in the sheep’s liver. (Copper Toxicity / Deficiency)

When the copper-tomolybdenum or copper-to-sulfate ratio is greater than 10:1

when is desiese seen (Copper Toxicity / Deficiency)

when the copper is released from the liver, often during times of stress.

enterotoxemia is aka

over-eating disease

what bacteria is enterotoxemiaa (over-eating disease)

Clostridium perfringens

what causes ita (over-eating disease)

1. rapidly growing lambs consuming large quantities of milk

2. over-eating of grain

clinical signs (5) (over-eating disease)

1. diarrhea (sometimes containing blood)

2. severe abdominal pain

3. may see convulsions

4. lethargy/recumbency

5. death

how to diagnose (over-eating disease)

1. Necropsy

2. Fecal smear

what are u looking for on a gram stain (over-eating disease)

Clostridium sp.

how to prevent (3) (over-eating disease)

1. vaccinate while pregnant

2. vaccinate lambs

3. Try to avoid sudden changes in feed

define Abomasal Ulcers (Abomasal Ulcers)

Erosion of the lining of the abomasum

what causes it (4) (Abomasal Ulcers)

1. Stress of calving

2. High starch diet

3. presence of hairballs in the abomasum

4. Occasionally microorganisms may be involved

what microorganisms can be sometimes seen (4) (Abomasal Ulcers)

1. Clostridium spp.

2. Sarcina spp.

3. Rota virus

4. Corona viruses

clinical signs (7) (Abomasal Ulcers)

1. Abdominal pain

2. Melena

3. Pale mucous membranes

4. Cool extremities

5. Recumbency

6. Fluctuating temperature

7. Dehydration

define melena (Abomasal Ulcers)

blood in the manure

how to diagnose (3) (Abomasal Ulcers)

1. Occult blood test of manure

2. CBC

3. Abdominocentesis

how to treat (6) (Abomasal Ulcers)

1. Gut protectants

2. administer oral mineral oil

3. dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate

4. Antibiotics to prevent peritonitis

5. Surgery to remove damaged ulcerated area

6. repair an early perforation

define Abomasal/Omasal Impactions (Abomasal/Omasal Impactions)

A condition seen occasionally in beef cattle fed poor quality roughage, which does not meet the dietary needs for energy or with insufficient water intake.

what causes Abomasal / Omasal Impactions (3) (Abomasal/Omasal Impactions)

1. Poor quality roughage

2. Occurs in the winter when temperatures drop to very cold levels

3. Unavailable or insufficient water

clinical signs (4) (Abomasal/Omasal Impactions)

1. Complete anorexia

2. Moderate distention of the abdomen

3. Dehydration

4. Weakness

how to treat (3) (Abomasal/Omasal Impactions)

1. Stomach tube with warm water and dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate to soften the gut content

2. IV fluids for the dehydration +/-

3. surgery to physically remove impacted feed (poor prognosis)

how to prevent (2) (Abomasal/Omasal Impactions)

1. Adequate feed during cold weather

2. Ensure access to water at all times

define Bloat (Bloat)

Disease where the rumen and reticulum become distended with gases of fermentation

Ruminal Tympany is aka

bloat

what are the 2 types of bloat (Bloat)

1. Frothy or Slimy Bloat

2. Free gas bloat

define Frothy or Slimy Bloat (Bloat)

Production of a stable foam or slime traps the normal gases of fermentation in the rumen, which prevents these small gas bubbles from forming into the normal, bigger bubbles that can be eructated

what causes Frothy or Slimy Bloat (3) (Bloat)

1. Excess consumption of young, pre-bloom leaves of legumes

2. Legume leaves are more dangerous when wet with morning dew

3. Can also be seen in feedlot cattle fed a finely ground grain diet

why are wet Legume leaves are more dangerous than dry? (Bloat)

water seems to speed up the rate of digestion

clinical signs of Frothy or Slimy Bloat (9) (Bloat)

1. Animal(s) found dead

2. Obvious distention of the rumen

3. Animal may get up and lie down frequently or kick at the belly

4. Dyspnea with mouth-breathing

5. protrusion of the tongue

6. neck extended

7. Increased respiratory rate

8. increased heart rate

9. projectile vomiting and diarrhea

how to treat Frothy or Slimy Bloat (2) (Bloat)

1. don’t move animal

2. Administer anti-frothing agent

what causes free gas bloat (4) (Bloat)

1. Physical obstruction

2. Enlargements outside the esophagus

3. Damage or dysfunction of the vagus nerve that innervates the stomachs

4. Trapped on their backs

how to treat free gas bloat (2) (Bloat)

1. Relieve cause of obstruction

2. Must pass a stomach tube down to let the free gas escape

how to prevent Free gas bloat (7) (Bloat)

1. Restrict grazing time on dangerous pastures

2. Feed hay daily before turning cattle onto dangerous pasture

3. Rumensin controlled release capsule (CRC)

4. fermentation

5. do not process the grain too finely

6. Avoid over-feeding grain

7. Feed non-bloating roughages with the grain ration

what causes it (Hardware Disease)

Ingestion of a hard, foreign body

clinical signs of Local or diffuse peritonitis (12) (Hardware Disease)

1. sudden anorexia

2. decreased or totally absent rumen movements

3. subacute abdominal pain

4. rigid muscles of back and abdomen

5. reluctance to walk

6. may grunt

7. may arch back

8. profound toxemia

9. severe depression

10. recumbency

11. coma

12. death

clinical signs of Acute pericarditis (6) (Hardware Disease)

1. heart sac can be perforated

2. extreme infection of sac and myocardium

3. recumbency or stands with back arched and elbows abducted

4. rapid weight loss

5. rapid, shallow breathing

6. increased pulse

clinical signs of Vagus indigestion (5 (1 + 4)) (Hardware Disease)

paralysis of the stomachs can cause

1. anorexia

2. delayed passage of ingesta

3. passage of soft pasty feces

4. free gas bloat

what does the vagues nerve innervate (2) (Hardware Disease)

forestomachs and abomasum

What is the initials MM (2) (Hardware Disease)

pale / grey, and tacky.

What is CRT (Hardware Disease)

An increased CRT

What is (HR) (Hardware Disease)

greater than 80 bpm

What is respiratory rate (RR) (Hardware Disease)

greater than 30

What is temperature (Hardware Disease)

A temperature greater than 39 degrees Celsius

how to diagnose genrally (4) (Hardware Disease)

1. cbc

2. chem

3. abdominocentesis

4. ultrasound

what would a cbc show in genral (2) (Hardware Disease)

1. plasma increased

2. low RBC

what would be genrally looked for in a chem pannel (Hardware Disease)

fibrinogen

diagnosis for Peritonitis (9) (Hardware Disease)

1. differential leukocyte count

2. total plasma protein is often increased

3. fibrinogen levels may be increased

4. abdominocentesis

5. rigid muscles along back

6. reluctant to walk

7. arch back

8. depression

9. recumbancy

what is seen in a differential leukocyte count in a Peritonitis (3) (Hardware Disease)

1. often a neutrophilia

2. regenerative left shift in the first 3 days

3. degenerative left shift

what is seen in a abdominocentesis in a Peritonitis (3) (Hardware Disease)

1. look at total WBC

2. total protein

3. culture

diagnosis of Acute pericarditis (8ish) (Hardware Disease)

1. leukocytosis

2. neutrophilia

3. eosinopenia

4. thoracocentesis of pericardial fluid

5. back arched

6. elbows abducted

7. edema under belly, brisket, jaw

8. congestive heart failure

define edema (Hardware Disease)

swelling caused by an excess of fluid trapped in your body's tissues

diagnosis of Vagus indigestion (6ish) (Hardware Disease)

1. moderate neutrophilia

2. left shift

3. relative monocytosis

4. hypochloremia

5. hypokalemia

6. alkalosis if abomasum is distended or impacted

how to treat (8 (2 + 6)) (Hardware Disease)

1. Conservative therapy

   1. restrict walking

   2. Administer a magnet

   3. Broad spectrum antibiotics

2. Surgical treatment

   1. Rumenotomy to try to remove object

   2. Intraperitoneal lavage and antibiotics

   3. Systemic broad spectrum antibiotics

how to prevent (3) (Hardware Disease)

1. Give magnets preventively to try to hold the foreign object in the reticulum

2. Clean up environment

3. Be aware that foreign objects can arrive in delivered rations

RVT Roles (4) (Hardware Disease)

1. history

2. restraint/handling

3. admin of magnet, meds

4. assisting in surgery