Important Gastrointestinal Disorders in Organized Farm

Important Gastrointestinal Disorders in Organized Farm

Dr. Smriti Kapoor

M.V.Sc in Veterinary Medicine

Dr. G.C. Negi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Palampur, H.P

Corresponding author: smrititholang@gmail.com

Organized farm animals mostly receive adequate dietary ration and are under good management practices. However, despite good plain of nutrition, they frequently suffer from gastrointestinal disorders and some of the important ones are:

1. Simple indigestion
2. Rumen impaction due to indigestible foreign bodies
3. Ruminal lactic acidosis and SARA
4. Traumatic reticuloperitonitis
5. Abomasal impaction

1. Simple Indigestion

Indigestion is common in dairy cattle and stall-fed beef cattle because of the variability in quality and the large amounts of feed consumed. The common causes are minor dietary abnormalities including indigestible roughage, particularly when the protein intake is low, moldy, overheated, and frosted feeds, and moderate excesses of grain and concentrate intake (Mandal et al. 2017). Cases occur under excellent feeding regimens and are usually attributed to overfeeding with grain or a sudden change in feed

Clinical findings

• A reduction in appetite is the first clinical finding, followed closely in milking cows by a slight drop in milk production. Both occur suddenly; the anorexia may be partial or complete but the fall in milk yield is relatively slight.
• The animal’s posture is unaffected but there is mild depression and dullness.
• Rumination ceases and the ruminal movements are depressed in frequency and amplitude and sometimes are almost absent.

Treatment

• Most cases of simple indigestion recover spontaneously. Small quantities of fresh, good-quality, palatable hay should be provided several times daily to encourage eating and to stimulate reticulorumen motility. Because anorexia and forestomach hypomotility usually exist together, the objective is to stimulate both appetite and motility.
• Ginger may be an effective prokinetic agent in ruminants, based on the results of a preliminary study demonstrating that the daily oral administration of ginger extract (40 mg/kg body weight [BW]) increased the frequency of reticular and ruminal contractions in healthy sheep within 24 hours

2. Rumen impaction due to indigestible foreign bodies

Foreign body ingestion is common in ruminants because of a general lack of alimentary finesse, particularly in cattle. Ingestion of metallic foreign bodies can lead directly to penetration of the reticular or ruminal wall.

Clinical findings

• Ingestion of nonmetallic foreign bodies if extensive or located in the reticulum, can result in decreased feed intake, weight loss, and electrolyte and acid-base abnormalities. Nonmetallic foreign bodies are most frequently found in the rumen. Cattle with foreign body ruminal impaction have serum biochemical changes consistent with low body weight and decreased feed intake (Mahadappa et al. 2020).

Treatment

• Mostly surgical removal of nonmetallic foreign body. For metallic foreign body magnet feeding can be effective as it immobilizes the foreign body preventing further damage.

3. Ruminal lactic acidosis and sara

• Acute ruminal acidosis is most commonly caused by the sudden ingestion of toxic doses of carbohydrate-rich feed, such as grain. Subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) in dairy cattle is a disorder of ruminal fermentation in dairy cattle caused by the ingestion of large amounts of concentrates and inadequate amounts of fiber administered to increase milk production in early lactation.
• All types of ruminant cattle and sheep are susceptible to acute ruminal acidosis, but the disease is most common in feedlot cattle. SARA is most common in dairy cattle fed high-level grain diets. Animals being fed a low-energy ration are most susceptible to a rapid change to a high-energy ration because satisfactory adaptation cannot occur quickly enough. This results in the rapid onset of abnormal fermentation.
• Common occurrence is when cattle are left under the care of an assistant who, being unaware of the feeding schedule, gives the cattle an unaccustomed quantity of grain. Outbreaks have occurred in dairy herds following malfunction of automatic feeders, which delivered many times more than the usual amount of grain.
• The occurrence of grain overload in feedlot cattle, however, has gained the most attention, presumably because of its economic impact. There are some critical periods during which grain overload occurs in feedlot cattle.When starting cattle on feed, animals with previous experience of eating grain will commonly consume a toxic dose if offered a ration with a high percentage of grain. The disease is common in feedlot cattle in which the total daily feed intake has been brought up to what is considered the same feed on an ad libitum basis, and they gorge themselves.
• When increasing the concentration of grain in the ration from one level to another, if the increment is too high the total amount of grain consumed by some cattle will be excessive.The disease also occurs when cattle that have been on a high-level grain ration (full feed) have become hungry because they have been out of feed for 12 to 24 hours because of a breakdown in the feed mill or handling facilities.
• SARA is considered of major economic importance because of the possible association with laminitis in dairy herds (Kleen et al. 2003).The transition from the pregnant, nonlactating state to the non-pregnant, lactating state is the period during which the majority of metabolic diseases occur in the dairy cow. SARA is characterized by repeated bouts of depressed rumen pH between 5.2 and 5.6.
• The abnormality often results from a large intake of rapidly fermentable carbohydrates that leads to the accumulation of organic acids in the rumen. Up to 20% of cows on commercial dairy farms in early to mid-lactation have a rumen pH of less than 5.5, indicative of SARA.

Clinical Findings

• In cases of mild or subacute ruminal acidosis, cattle may show signs of colic and anorexia, and loose stools are commonly present. Cattle commonly have an abnormal amount of manure smeared across their hindquarters. In severe cases of ruminal acidosis, the first indication of a problem is often a large decrease in feed consumption.
• Cattle may be recumbent, some may be staggering, and severe anorexia is present. Recumbent animals often lie with their heads tucked in their flanks, similar to parturient paresis. Absence of ruminal contractions, diminished or absent palpebral reflexes and severe dehydration

Treatment

• The current feed should be evaluated and bunk scooped or ration altered to prevent cases from progressing. Standing cattle should be offered grass hay and water and monitored until they are stable.
• Rumenotomy
• Intravenous sodium bicarbonate and fluid therapy
• Rumen lavage
• Intraruminal alkalinizing agents
• Ruminal transfaunation

4. Traumatic reticuloperitonitis

• Perforation of the wall of the reticulum by a sharp foreign body initially produces an acute local peritonitis, which may spread to cause acute diffuse peritonitis or remain localized to cause subsequent damage, including vagal indigestion and, in rare cases, diaphragmatic hernia.
• The penetration of the foreign body may proceed beyond the peritoneum and cause involvement of other organs resulting in pericarditis; cardiac tamponade; pneumonia; pleurisy and mediastinitis; and hepatic, splenic, or diaphragmatic abscess

Clinical Findings

• Abnormal demeanour, reduced rumen motility, reduced rumen fill, abnormal rumen stratification, fever and tachycardia are common clinical findings.

Treatment

• Conservative or surgical
• Conservative treatment involves administration of a magnet, and antibiotic treatment over several days. Penicillin and broad-spectrum antibiotics such as ampicillin, ceftiofurand tetracyclines are most commonly used. Flunixin meglumine and ketoprofen are used as anti-inflammatory drugs. If conservative treatment fails to resolve the problem within 2–4 days, surgery to remove the foreign body or euthanasia should be considered (Braun et al. 2020).

5. Abomasal impaction

• Abomasal impaction is defined as the presence of drier than normal abomasal contents and a larger than normal abomasal volume.
• Abomasal impaction of cattle may be a primary disorder or develop secondary to another condition, such as traumatic reticuloperitonitis or ingestion of an abnormal diet (dietary abomasal impaction)
• Primary abomasal impaction is most common in post parturient dairy cattle and appears to be under diagnosed because the specific findings can only be determined during right flank exploratory laparotomy.
• Dietary abomasal impaction occurs when the animals are fed poor-quality roughage.
• The disease is most common in pregnant beef cattle, which increase their feed intake during extremely cold weather to meet the increased needs of a higher metabolic rate.
• The disease has also occurred in feedlot cattle fed a variety of mixed rations containing chopped or ground roughage (straw and hay) and cereal grains and in late pregnant dairy cows on similar feeds (Wittek et al. 2003).

Clinical findings

• Complete anorexia, scant feces, and moderate distension of the abdomen are the usual presenting complaints given by the owner in cattle with dietary abomasal impaction.
• The onset is usually slow and progressive over a period of several days.
• Cattle that have been affected for several days have lost considerable weight and are too weak to rise.
• The body temperature is usually normal but may be subnormal during cold weather, which suggests that the specific fermentative action of the rumen is not sufficient to meet the energy needs of basal metabolism.

Treatment

• The challenge in treatment is to be able to recognize the cases that will respond to treatment and those that will not and should therefore be removed from farm.
• Rational treatment would appear to consist of correcting the metabolic alkalosis, hypochloremia, hypokalemia, and dehydration and attempting to move the impacted material with lubricants such as mineral oil or dioctyl sodium succinate, or surgically emptying the abomasum.
• Balanced electrolyte solutions are infused intravenously on a continuous basis for up to 72 hours at a rate of 100 to 150 mL/kg BW over a 24-hour period.

References

Braun, U., Gerspach, C., Ohlerth, S., Warislohner, S. and Nuss, K., 2020. Aetiology, diagnosis, treatment and outcome of traumatic reticuloperitonitis in cattle. The Veterinary Journal, 255, p.105424.

Kleen, J.L., Hooijer, G.A., Rehage, J. and Noordhuizen, J.P.T.M., 2003. Subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA): a review. Journal of Veterinary Medicine Series A, 50(8), pp.406-414.

Mahadappa, P., Krishnaswamy, N., Karunanidhi, M., Bhanuprakash, A.G., Bindhuja, B.V. and Dey, S., 2020. Effect of plastic foreign body impaction on rumen function and heavy metal concentrations in various body fluids and tissues of buffaloes. Ecotoxicology and environmental safety, 189, p.109972.

Mandal, R.S.K., Joshi, V., Balamurugan, B., Gautam, D., Chethan, G.E. and Lekshman, A., 2017. Rumen transfaunation an effective method for treating simple indigestion in ruminants. North-East Veterinarian, 17(1), pp.31-33.

Wittek, T., Constable, P.D. and Morin, D.E., 2005. Abomasal impaction in Holstein-Friesian cows: 80 cases (1980–2003). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 227(2), pp.287-291.

https://www.pashudhanpraharee.com/concept-of-gut-health-in-poultry/

Please follow and like us: