Content
Traumatic reticulopericarditis in cattle is not as common as reticulitis, but these diseases are interrelated. Moreover, the second can develop without the first, but vice versa never.
What is traumatic reticulopericarditis
Cattle suffer from traumatic reticulitis and reticulopericarditis much more often than more discriminating small livestock. The explanation for this lies in the lifestyle of the aurochs, the ancestors of domestic cows.
There is an interesting opinion that a cow can live peacefully even with a coil of wire in her stomach. Can not. But there is a basis for such a belief.
The wild ancestors of cattle, like today's cows, did not shine with speed and could not escape from predators. Their defense was the ability to hide in the thickets on the edges of the forest. They could feed only during the shifts of day and night predators, that is, in the morning and evening twilight. There is little time, you need a lot of grass. Turks have developed the ability to swallow, without chewing, large portions of food at once, and then, in the bushes, regurgitate it and chew the cud thoroughly.
After domestication, this ability played a cruel joke on cows: along with grass and concentrates, they began to swallow human-made objects.
The problem worsened after iron became cheap and people stopped collecting the smallest pieces to be melted down. The cows began to swallow iron objects along with grass, hay and feed.
The first section of the stomach is called the mesh. All foreign objects settle in it. Metal products with blunt edges do not injure the mesh wall, although they worsen the digestion process. Sharp pieces of iron pierce the mesh. This injury is called traumatic reticulitis.
The mesh is very close to the heart muscle. As the cow moves and this section of the stomach contracts, sharp objects pass through the wall of the mesh and enter the abdominal cavity, diaphragm, and liver. The heart muscle is most often damaged. It is this damage that is called traumatic reticulopericarditis.
Signs of traumatic reticulopericarditis in cows
The disease always begins with traumatic reticulitis. With careful attention to the animal, the problem can be noticed at an early stage. In this case, there is still a chance to save the cow's life.
Signs of acute traumatic reticulitis:
- loss of appetite;
- lack of chewing gum;
- deterioration of the rumen;
- general oppression;
- pain when pressing on the withers or the area of the xiphoid process;
- reduction in milk yield;
- arching of the back;
- moans;
- fear of lying down, sometimes cows remain standing for several days, which is very physically difficult for them;
- rotation of the elbow joints from the chest outward;
- the appearance of muscle tremors.
The most characteristic sign of acute traumatic reticulitis is constant digestive disorders, in which constipation is replaced by diarrhea.
In the case of reticulitis flowing into traumatic reticulopericarditis, it does not reach the chronic form of the former. Signs of traumatic reticulopericarditis are added to the initial symptoms:
- the beginning of lifting a lying cow from the front legs, instead of the hind legs;
- reluctance to go uphill;
- reluctant movement in the herd, a sick cow constantly lags behind.
As the process develops, the work of the heart muscle changes: initially strong contractions weaken as they accumulate in the exudate. The pulse becomes frequent and weak. The jugular veins are filled with blood. When palpated in the area of the heart, the cow shows a reaction to pain. Due to poor heart function, fluid is poorly excreted from the body, and cold swelling appears in places characteristic of the disease:
- pharynx;
- dewlap;
- intermaxillary space.
Breathing is frequent even at rest. The temperature is often elevated. On average, traumatic reticulopericarditis develops in 2-3 weeks. Sometimes the process develops very quickly or, conversely, drags on for several months.
It all depends on where the tip entered the heart muscle, and how long this piece of iron was.
Diagnosis of traumatic reticulopericarditis in cattle
Traumatic reticulitis is even now diagnosed by symptoms that are very vague. Modern complexes can be equipped with X-ray machines and metal detectors, which can be used to detect foreign bodies.With reticulitis, the prognosis is more favorable than after the development of traumatic reticulopericarditis.
The latter, in the absence of equipment, is diagnosed using special tests:
- Stand to the left of the cow. Bend your right leg (yours) at the knee, rest your elbow (also yours) on the knee. Press with your fist in the area of the xiphoid process. The pressure is increased by lifting the leg onto the toe. An alternative to physical exercise is a stick passed under the cow in the same area of the xiphoid process. The stick is lifted simultaneously from both sides, that is, 2 people are needed.
- The cow is taken by the fold of skin on the withers and the skin is pulled up. The cow's head is held in an extended position.
- They herd the cow down the slope.
- Check the reaction with a hammer in the area of the xiphoid process.
With all these checks, the cow experiences a twinge of pain. She lies down abruptly and moans. The disadvantage of the tests is that they cannot be used to diagnose a specific pathology. You can only establish pain in a certain area.
If the tests are positive, you can specify the problem using magnetic probes that are inserted into the mesh. At the same time, remove those metal objects that are in the mesh. But only those foreign bodies that the magnet can capture and that have not yet gone beyond the mesh. In the case of traumatic reticulopericarditis, the probe is no longer useful as a therapeutic agent.
A metal detector and x-ray are also used to detect foreign metal bodies. The latter also shows non-metallic objects.
Treatment of traumatic reticulopericarditis in cattle
The prognosis for treatment of reticulopericarditis is unfavorable. Even treatment of traumatic reticulitis in cattle is possible only if the mesh has not been perforated. It is necessary to “catch” traumatic reticulopericarditis at the stage when “the foreign body has not pierced the mesh.”
Not all metal pieces can be obtained either. Copper or aluminum do not stick to magnetic traps.
Carrying out diagnostics and surgery
Before the tube is inserted, the cow is kept on a fasting diet for 12 hours with free access to water. If the cow does not drink on her own, the water is forced to drink. Before diagnosis, be sure to drink 2 liters. A probe is inserted through the nasal passage to the pharynx. So a magnet is attached to the probe and the entire structure is slowly pushed to the scar.
The reference point from the outside is the 6th-7th rib near the shoulder joint. The location of the magnet is determined using a compass.
The probe remains in the mesh for up to 24 hours if traumatic reticulopericarditis needs to be diagnosed. To treat traumatic reticulitis, the magnet should be in the mesh for 1.5-3 hours. Moreover, at this time the cow must be driven along hilly terrain so that descents and ascents alternate. In traumatic reticulopericarditis this can be dangerous.
To remove the probe, several liters of warm water are again poured into the cow and the reverse manipulations are performed to those used during insertion. Remove any adhering metal from the probe.
Treatment of cattle
After removing the probe, while there is hope that the dangerous foreign body has been removed, the cattle are prescribed diet and rest. The diet includes:
- jelly;
- bran mash;
- flax decoction;
- good soft hay mixed with green grass.
The heart is supported with cold compresses applied to the affected area. Laxatives and diuretics are added to the food to speed up the absorption of exudate.
To prevent the development of sepsis, cows are prescribed antibiotics and sulfonamides. Caffeine is prescribed subcutaneously to stimulate the respiratory system and heart muscle. The dose for cattle is 2.5 g. A 30-40% glucose solution is administered intravenously. Dose 150-300 ml.
Conservative treatment is possible if the traumatic object has been removed. Cattle are sent for slaughter in 3 cases:
- the foreign body remains inside and continues to injure the pericardium;
- the damage is too great;
- surgery is not economically profitable.
The latter is almost always unprofitable, except in cases of disease in particularly valuable breeding cattle. But such cattle are unlikely to suffer from perversions of appetite and will swallow iron. In all other cases, if after probing the cow’s condition continues to deteriorate, it is sent to slaughter.
Preventive actions
A private cow owner is unlikely to be able to “pull” the prevention of traumatic reticulopericarditis. He can only monitor the cleanliness of pastures, feeders and stalls, removing metal objects from there.
On farms, in addition to clearing the area with a mine detector, magnetic rings or traps are implanted into cows' proventriculuses. Magnets attract iron and protect the abdominal cavity from the penetration of foreign objects. True, it is not specified anywhere how these traps are cleared of debris.At feed mills, magnetic equipment must be installed that will clean the products from metal objects.
Often, cattle accidentally swallow foreign objects due to a violation of the vitamin and mineral balance. Highly productive dairy cows with an incorrectly formulated diet develop the so-called “licker”. Cattle with vitamin and mineral deficiency begin to suffer from perversion of appetite and swallow inedible objects.
Prevention of “licker” in cows is a balanced diet. Ensuring that dairy cattle receive sufficient amounts of microelements prevents appetite distortion. When fighting the symptoms, and not the source of the problem, farms are establishing a procedure for probing roughage and passing concentrates through electromagnetic installations.
Conclusion
Traumatic reticulopericarditis in cattle, even in modern conditions, is practically untreatable. In private farms, it makes sense to treat cattle before they reach reticulopericaditis. But it’s even better to reduce the risk of a cow ingesting foreign objects by not skimping on high-quality feed and vitamin-mineral premixes.
