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Book blockage in a cow is a ruminant disease that is classified as a non-contagious disease. Appears after the interleaf cavities are overfilled with solid particles of food, sand, clay, earth, which subsequently dry out and harden in the book, forming its obstruction.
What is a cow book
The cow’s book in the photo will help you imagine what this section of the animal’s stomach looks like.
The stomach of a cow has 4 chambers:
- scar;
- grid;
- book;
- mouse
The scar consists of several muscle layers, divided by a gutter into two parts. It is located in the abdominal cavity, on the left. This is the largest section of the cow’s digestive tract. Its capacity is about 200 liters. It is in the scar that food enters in the first place. This section is filled with microorganisms that carry out the primary digestion.
The mesh is much smaller in volume, located close to the diaphragm in the chest area. The net’s job is to sort the feed. Small parts of the food from here come further, and large ones are regurgitated into the cow’s mouth for further chewing.
After the net, small pieces of food move into the book. This is where a more thorough grinding of food takes place. This is possible due to the special structure of this department. Its mucous membrane consists of certain folds that resemble leaflets in a book. Hence the department got its name. The book is responsible for the further digestion of food, coarse fiber fibers, absorption of fluids and acids.
The abomasum is equipped with glands capable of secreting gastric juice. The abomasum is located on the right. It works very actively in calves that feed on milk. It immediately enters the abomasum, and the book, like the rest of the stomach, does not work in the calf until the start of the use of “adult” feed.
Where is the cow’s book
The book is the third section of the stomach of cattle. It is located between the mesh and the abomasum dorsally from them, that is, closer to the back, in the right hypochondrium. The left side is located closer to the scar and mesh, the right side is adjacent to the liver, diaphragm, costal surface in the region of 7-10 ribs. The volume of the department is about 15 liters on average.
This position of the book sometimes complicates research. As a rule, they are carried out with the help of percussion (tapping), auscultation (listening) and palpation of the organ.
On auscultation of a healthy cow, soft noises are heard, which become more frequent and louder when ruminating.
Palpation is carried out by pressing with a fist on the intercostal space and observing the behavior of the animal.
Percussion in a healthy animal does not cause a pain reaction, while a dull sound is heard, which depends on the filling of the stomach with food.
Causes of the blockage of the book in cattle
Normally, in a healthy cow, the contents of the book are moist and thick. With the development of blockage, it becomes more dense and has foreign impurities. This happens in situations where the cow has received a lot of dry food, uncleaned from sand and earth, whole or crushed grain without enough moisture. An unbalanced diet, grazing on poor-quality, scarce pastures leads to the fact that the animal consumes roots with the remnants of the earth along with dry grass. This leads to blockage of the organ. Also, a book may not work for a cow with insufficient exercise and during the second half of pregnancy.
Solid, dry food, having entered the book, accumulates in the interleaf niches, disrupting blood circulation and causing inflammation and blockage. Accumulated food residues quickly harden and dry out, since water is sucked out of the feed in this section of the stomach.
There are a number of other reasons for blockage of the book:
- injuries caused by the ingress of a foreign body;
- lack of trace elements;
- helminths;
- intestinal obstruction.
During the transfer of calves to self-feeding, similar digestive problems can occur in young animals. The book in a calf is clogged for the same reasons as in an adult: lack of succulent feed in the diet, insufficient water intake, roughage that has not been cleaned from the ground.
Symptoms of book blockage in cows
In the first hours after blockage, the cow has a general malaise: weakness, lethargy, appetite decreases and chewing gum disappears.
One of the first symptoms that indicate a clogged book in a cow is a decrease in rumen contractions. During auscultation, the noise will be weak, by the second day they disappear completely. Percussion will reveal the soreness of the organ when tapped. Intestinal peristalsis weakens and the cow may experience stool retention. Often in cows with blockage, milk yield drops significantly.
Significant overflowing with food, blockage of the book causes thirst in the animal, an increase in body temperature, and an increase in heart rate. A cow can moan, gnash its teeth. In some cases, convulsions begin, the animal falls into a coma.
What is the danger of blocking a book from a cow
At the very beginning of the blockage, the cow has leukopenia (a decrease in the number of leukocytes in the blood), then neutrophilia develops (an increase in the content of neutrophils). The illness can last up to 12 days. If during this time the cow is not provided with qualified assistance, the animal dies from intoxication and dehydration.
What to do if a cow clogs a book
First of all, in case of blockage, the cow should be isolated from the herd, as she needs peace and a special regime of keeping.
Therapeutic measures should be aimed at diluting the contents of the book, as well as further moving food through the digestive tract. Next, you should normalize the function of the scar, achieve the appearance of belching and chewing gum.
Most often, the following treatment regimen is prescribed for a book blockage in a cow:
- about 15 liters of sodium sulfate;
- 0,5 l of vegetable oil (introduced through a probe);
- a decoction of flaxseed (drink twice a day);
- intravenously administered sodium chloride with caffeine.
When injecting into the book, the needle is inserted under the 9th rib. Before this, 3 ml of saline should be injected into it and immediately pumped back. In this way, it is determined whether the injection site is chosen correctly.
If the pathology is also observed in the rumen, then washing with warm water or a solution of manganese should be carried out and laxatives should be given to the animal.
During the period of blockage treatment, it is necessary to provide the cow with plenty of fluids, and restrictions on concentrates will also be useful. You need to add more succulent feed to the diet. It will be possible to switch to the main diet in 2-3 weeks. Walking in the fresh air is important, but without active movements.
If a problem with the digestive tract occurs in calves, then you should rely on the experience of a veterinarian. Treatment should be prescribed by a specialist. As a rule, for calves it will be similar, but the dosage of drugs is less.
The digestive system in cattle is arranged in a special way, especially in calves. With the transition to full-fledged feeding, the baby starts all departments of digestion and the microflora changes. Blockage of the book may occur due to the characteristics of the young organism, as well as inaccuracies in nutrition.
When the first signs of blockage appear, it is necessary to isolate the calf in a separate room, do not feed, remove the spasm, for example, but-shpoy, call a veterinarian.
Prevention of book clogging in a cow
After the cow’s book is cleared and the veterinarian prescribes a treatment regimen, the owner needs to reconsider the rules for feeding and keeping the animal. Food should not be monotonous and contain only loose feed. Waste of technical production must first be steamed, mixed with succulent feed. In addition, it is important to enrich the feed with vitamin supplements and trace elements. Animals should be provided with regular, daily walks in the fresh air.
Cows should have constant free access to clean drinking water. If there is water with an admixture of silt in the place of walking, on the pasture, it is necessary to deliver water from the farm and pour it into containers.
Conclusion
Blockage of the book in a cow is a serious disease of the digestive tract. With careful attention to the animal, a well-composed diet, daily exercise, clogging of the book can be avoided.