Colic in calves and cattle is a fairly common intestinal disorder, which is a complex symptomatic complex that arises and manifests itself in diseases of the digestive organs. In ordinary life, colic is most often called simply “bloating,” and animal breeders, in the normal course of the disease, independently diagnose and treat it.
Types of colic
The appearance of colic, both in a young and an adult animal, is always evidence that a malfunction in the functioning of some part of the gastrointestinal tract has occurred in the individual’s body.
In veterinary medicine, it is customary to distinguish 2 main types of colic, depending on which organs are sick in the calf or adult:
- True colic – occur when there are disturbances in the functioning of the stomach or intestines. Examples of diseases in this case are: acute dilatation of the stomach, flatulence, stagnation in the intestines;
- False colic – manifest themselves in diseases of the liver, kidneys, bladder, as well as in connection with an infectious disease of the animal.
In addition to the two listed, veterinarians and zoologists also distinguish a third type of colic - symptomatic.This type of gastrointestinal disorder can occur as a result of surgical, obstetric effects on the calf's body, or as a result of the presence of any infectious or helminthic disease.
The most common classification is the division of colic, depending on in which area of the body the symptoms of the disease appear:
- Gastric.
- Intestinal.
Intestinal colic, in turn, includes
- bloating without manifestations of peritonitis (for example, flatulence, chymostasis);
- swelling with manifestation of peritonitis (for example, thromboembolism).
Causes
In veterinary medicine, it is customary to distinguish 3 main reasons why colic may occur in calves and cattle:
- For young animals, this is most often a too abrupt transition or lack of a preparatory stage for the transition from milk feeding to a regular diet. A calf can also suffer poisoning due to giving it sour milk along with its mother's milk.
- Food poisoning.
- The presence of malfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract or the entire body as a whole in a young or adult cattle.
Food poisoning in cattle can occur due to non-compliance with the basic rules of animal nutrition:
- diet and water intake (for example, drinking plenty of fluids after a heavy meal);
- supplying easily fermentable feed to the animal immediately before or after an intensive walk (for example, oats, barley);
- the use of low quality feed in feeding livestock, as well as very cold, frozen feed, or rotten, sour, moldy or clogged with earth and sand;
- animals independently eating poisonous plant species in the pasture.
Malfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract of cattle can be caused by:
- severe overheating or hypothermia of the animal’s body (this is especially typical for calves);
- foreign objects that have entered the gastrointestinal tract and interfere with its normal functioning;
- the presence of parasitic creatures in the body of a calf or adult.
Symptoms
Experienced veterinarians, zoologists and farmers talk about about 40 different types of diseases, one of the main symptoms of which is colic. In both a calf and an adult, the presence of discomfort in the gastrointestinal region can be diagnosed by the following signs:
- excited and restless behavior of the animal;
- constant stepping and shuffling of limbs;
- the calf or adult constantly looks back at its belly and continuously fans itself with its tail;
- the animal hits itself on the stomach with its hind legs;
- individuals of cattle take uncharacteristic postures, for example, trying to sit like a dog, or swaying their body from side to side. The young calf constantly tries to lie on its stomach. This situation should absolutely not be allowed, since its body weight will put pressure on the gastrointestinal tract, and this, in turn, can further worsen the calf’s condition due to uneven distribution of pressure;
- the animal refuses food and water offered to it;
- the appearance of the calf or adult in the abdominal area changes, its volume sharply increases;
- the process of defecation occurs with great straining.
The above signs are the primary symptoms indicating the presence of colic in calves and cattle.Secondary symptoms include the following:
- failure of the cardiovascular system;
- disturbance of the animal's breathing rate;
- improper functioning of the urinary system (too frequent urination or, conversely, its almost complete absence).
Therapy methods
When diagnosing the presence of colic in an animal, it is necessary to provide assistance and relieve pain as quickly as possible, since bloating causes severe discomfort to the individual. The treatment method for colic in calves and cattle includes several main steps:
- Initially, it is necessary to free the animal’s stomach and intestines from food accumulated in it.
- The animal should be given sunflower or olive oil, a mineral or mucous decoction to drink (similar products are used in folk medicine and are considered quite effective as first aid for a sick individual).
- The spasm and pain of the calf should be eliminated (medicines such as No-shpa, Novalgin are used for this), and in order to relieve pain, the animal should be given sleeping pills and painkillers (Bromide, Novocain, analgesics).
- Mild colic and bloating in very young calves are treated with chamomile infusion.
- To restore the normal functioning of the gastric and intestinal tract of a sick individual, special abdominal massage and rubbing should be done.
After the colic subsides, it is necessary to restore the body's functioning to normal. You should not immediately give food to a previously sick individual.This must be done gradually, starting the complementary feeding process with boiled root vegetables and hay in very limited quantities.
Prevention
To avoid the occurrence of such an unpleasant phenomenon as colic in cattle, you should adhere to several basic rules in feeding and keeping animals:
- for calves, the main rule is to observe a soft, gradual transition from the milk type of nutrition to the adult type of nutrition;
- feed animals only proven and high-quality food, observe the food intake regimen of each animal: the main rule should be the alternation of lighter and heavier food;
- Avoid strong fluctuations in ambient temperature for animals (hypothermia or overheating of individuals), especially for calves. In the pen where the individuals are kept, it is necessary to try to maintain a constant ambient temperature;
- Cattle should use only clean water for drinking, preferably at room temperature;
- mandatory walks in the fresh air at any time of the year: this event is certainly suitable for the prevention of both diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and the entire body as a whole.
Conclusion
Colic in calves and cattle is a phenomenon that directly indicates the presence of malfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract of the animal’s body. Experienced farmers and breeders have long learned to independently diagnose the appearance of this unpleasant disease in animals and take all necessary measures to help them.It is important to understand that colic is a symptom of a large number of diseases, and in order to avoid their occurrence in calves and cattle, it is necessary to carefully monitor the regime and quality of their diet, the living conditions of the animals and their overall health.
