Cattle acidosis: what is it, treatment

Acidosis in cows is a common disease that reduces the productivity of the animal. It is not dangerous if it is recognized in time. Otherwise, death is not far off. That is why everyone who deals with cattle (cattle) should know the symptoms and treatment of acidosis in cows.

Acidosis in cows: what is it

Acidosis is a disease of the rumen in cows due to impaired metabolism. As a result, lactic acid accumulates in the stomach of the animal, and the pH is disturbed. With the development of the disease, lactic acid enters the bloodstream, causing destructive processes in the cow’s liver. If the acidosis is not treated, the cattle will die.

The disease cannot proceed without symptoms. The patency of food is disturbed, characteristic pains occur, the animal becomes susceptible to other diseases, as immunity decreases. A cow suffering from acidosis becomes lethargic, eats poorly or refuses to eat at all, the amount of milk decreases sharply.

Acidosis is especially dangerous for a pregnant cow, as the development of the placenta is disturbed. All harmful products come to the fetus, as a result of which its immune system does not function as expected. Calves are born sick, die in the first days. If they survive, they are noticeably behind other cows in development. As a rule, they are sent to slaughter.

It is important to understand that the disease is not contagious, but it affects several individuals or the entire herd at once, since food is given to the entire livestock.

A form of acidosis

Acidosis in cows is closely related to the animal’s digestive system, so its symptoms can be confused with another gastrointestinal disease. To prevent this from happening, you need to know that 3 odds are distinguished in veterinary medicine, each of them manifests itself in its own way and requires a certain treatment.

Sharp

It is impossible to miss the acute stage of the disease. It’s the easiest to determine. Symptoms appear within 2-6 hours after eating poor-quality feed. Acute acidosis is characterized by:

• sudden lethargy of the cow;
• difficult breathing;
• refusal to eat;
• the presence of a seal in the scar area;
• trembling in the body;
• loose and frequent stools;
• convulsions.

Treatment of acidosis with such symptoms should begin immediately. If a sick animal lies motionless, stops chewing, grinds its teeth and later falls into a coma, then death occurs in a day.

subacute

Subclinical or subacute acidosis is not so dangerous, but it should not be left unattended. This form occurs in cows after calving, when the animal’s diet is changed. If the changes occurred abruptly, then the microflora in the scar did not have time to reorganize. As a result, acidosis begins.

Symptoms in the subacute form are similar to the acute course of the disease, but they develop slowly. The weight of the cow gradually decreases, the muscles weaken, mastitis may develop.

Chronic

The neglected form of acidosis passes into the chronic stage. Complications join the disease:

• ailments of the hooves;
• disorders in the reproductive organs;
• inflammation of the scar mucosa;
• liver abscess;
• heart problems.

The cow becomes lethargic, does not respond to external stimuli, eats food poorly. She develops anemia.

The danger lies in the fact that for a long time chronic acidosis does not manifest itself in any way, there are no pronounced symptoms. You can suspect an ailment by the appearance of a cow – she gets tired quickly. In addition, the milk of a sick animal is low in fat.

Causes of acidosis in cows

Acidosis appears only through the fault of the owner of the herd. This leads to illiterate or malnutrition of cattle. You can not drastically change the diet of cows or the ratio of its components. The main causes that lead to acidosis:

• low-quality silo;
• finely ground feed;
• excess of quickly digestible carbohydrates;
• too wet food;
• violation of the microflora in the rumen.

These include an abundance of:

• apples;
• beets;
• potatoes;
• cereals or vegetable waste.

A cow should not be allowed to eat anything. Food should not be available all the time.

One of the causes of acidosis is the lack of roughage. This cannot be allowed. Such food causes an abundance of saliva, without which there can be no normal digestion. Too soft and crushed food leads to a decrease in salivation. As a result of this, the food in the stomach of the cow turns sour, indigestion and loose stools occur.

The pathogenesis of bovine acidosis

In the first section of the stomach of cows – the rumen – up to 70% of all food eaten is accumulated and digested. If its quality leaves much to be desired, then a lot of lactic acid is released, which should speed up the breakdown of food. Gradually, lactic acid becomes in excess, the pH of the stomach decreases. Instead, acidity increases. There is an imbalance of substances. It is this condition of the animal that leads to the occurrence of acidosis.

Symptoms

In order to start treatment on time, it is important to know the general symptoms of bovine acidosis. In the first hours of the disease, the animal’s respiration sharply quickens. Then after 10-15 minutes it is restored. This is observed throughout the day. In severe cases, rapid breathing remains.

In addition, the symptoms of acidosis are:

1. Abrupt refusal of the animal to feed. This condition can last 2-5 days.
2. Changing the color of the surface of the tongue. It takes on a dirty yellow tint.
3. Saliva becomes cloudy.
4. The area of ​​the scar during the examination is painful, filled with gases. You can notice this symptom a day after the onset of the disease.
5. Feces change color and texture. By the end of the first day, they become liquid, dirty gray in color, contain the remains of undigested food. Smell is sour.
6. The cow lies motionless.
7. The animal begins conjunctivitis, purulent or serous contents are released from the eyes.

If you start treating a cow on time, then with a mild course of the disease, the animal will return to normal life in 4-5 days. With an advanced form of acidosis, recovery will take more than 10 days.

Diagnosis of bovine acidosis

The owner alone will not be able to accurately diagnose the cow, since acidosis is easily confused with other diseases, the symptoms of which are similar. To do this, you will need to consult an experienced veterinarian who will conduct a series of studies and prescribe treatment.

To make an accurate diagnosis, an analysis of the contents of the scar, blood and urine of the animal is done. A sick cow has acidic urine, it contains protein, which is especially characteristic of a severe course of the disease. Lactic acid residues can be found in the blood.

In addition to the procedures described, the veterinarian may prescribe an electrocardiogram. In 80% of sick cattle, tachycardia is observed. The heart rate reaches 136 beats per minute. This state lasts 12-15 days.

Treatment of ruminal acidosis in cows

The key factor in the recovery of the livestock is the timely diagnosis and timely treatment of rumen acidosis in cows. To begin with, the scar should be thoroughly washed with a special probe. The contents are removed, after which alkali is introduced. It is allowed to use a 15% solution of baking soda. If simple treatment does not help, then opening the scar is indispensable. The operation is performed under general anesthesia. The contents of the proventriculus are surgically cleared, followed by the administration of the drug. For a day, you can enter alkali 8 times.

In addition to the above treatment, the veterinarian will prescribe blood substitutes or sodium bicarbonate. It is necessary to restore the water balance in the body. It is useful to give a sick animal water with salt up to 7 times a day.

With severe fever and muscle cramps, it is necessary to drip B vitamins or give an anti-shock drug from those allowed in veterinary medicine, for example, Prednisolone.

Before the arrival of the veterinarian, you need to try to alleviate the condition of the cow yourself. To do this, it does not hurt to give her 1 liter of vegetable oil to loosen the stool. The head of the animal must be kept at an angle.

If acidosis has already passed into a chronic form, then deaths are practically excluded. The treatment will be different:

1. Gastric lavage.
2. Feed replacement.
3. A course of enzymes that regulate the production of lactic acid and normalize digestion. It is designed for 2 months.

In addition, vitamin supplements and strict control over the components of the mash will be required.

There are also folk methods for treating cow acidosis, but they are suitable for subacute and chronic stages of the disease, when there is no threat to the life of cattle:

1. Gastric lavage with soda.
2. Massage.
3. Feed yeast.

At the first symptoms of acidosis, the cow is forcibly watered with a solution of soda, after which vegetable oil is poured in to induce vomiting and thus cleanse the stomach of the cattle.

After cleansing, massage is performed if the stomach is not very swollen. This will help start the process of digestion. Make it soft pressing movements.

In the chronic course of the disease, it is useful to give the cow 100 g of mineral yeast per day. This contributes to the digestion of food, improves the patency of the stomach, and prevents the acidification of food.

Prevention

Cow acidosis is a disease that is easy to prevent, it is enough to monitor the quality of the feed and properly compose the diet of the animal:

1. Eliminate spoiled, rotten or rotten silage from the diet.
2. Add coarse feed so that it is more than half.
3. Control the humidity of the mixer, which should be at the level of 45-55%.
4. Reduce consumption of molasses and fodder beets. Their share in the mash is 7% of dry matter.
5. Reduce the amount of wheat, add corn to 50% of all components.

In addition, it is necessary to deprive the animal of the opportunity to eat feed selectively. All components are thoroughly mixed and distributed in the form of a wet mash.

Conclusion

Symptoms and treatment of acidosis in cows help to cope with the disease in a short time. It is important to follow all the recommendations of the veterinarian and further review the diet of cattle, otherwise it is not far from the chronic form of the disease.