Contents
Traumatic reticulopericarditis in cattle is not as common as reticulitis, but these diseases are interrelated. Moreover, the second without the first can develop, but vice versa never.
What is traumatic reticulopericarditis
Cattle suffer from traumatic reticulitis and reticulopericarditis much more often than more discriminating small cattle. The explanation for this lies in the lifestyle of the tours – the ancestors of domestic cows.
There is an interesting opinion that a cow can live in peace even with a coil of wire in her stomach. Can not. But such a belief has a basis.
The wild ancestors of cattle, like today’s cows, did not shine with speed and could not run away from predators. Their defense was the ability to hide in the thickets at 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. Time is short, we need a lot of grass. The aurochs have developed the ability to swallow, without chewing, immediately large portions of food, and then, in the bushes, burp it and chew the cud thoroughly.
After domestication, this ability played a trick on cows: together with grass and concentrates, they began to swallow man-made items.
The problem worsened after iron became cheap and people stopped collecting the smallest pieces for smelting. 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. When the cow moves and this section of the stomach contracts, sharp objects pass through the mesh wall and enter the abdominal cavity, diaphragm, and liver. Most often, the heart muscle is damaged. It is this damage that is called traumatic reticulopericarditis.
Signs of traumatic reticulopericarditis in cows
The disease always begins with traumatic reticulitis. With a careful attitude to the animal, the problem can be noticed even at the initial stage. In this case, there is still a chance of saving the cow’s life.
Signs of acute traumatic reticulitis:
- deterioration of appetite;
- lack of gum;
- deterioration of the scar;
- general oppression;
- pain when pressing on the withers or the region of the xiphoid process;
- decrease in milk yield;
- back arching;
- moans;
- fear of lying down, sometimes cows remain standing for several days, which is very difficult for them physically;
- rotation of the elbow joints from the chest outward;
- the appearance of muscle tremors.
The most characteristic sign of acute traumatic reticulitis is persistent digestive disorders, in which constipation is replaced by diarrhea.
In the case of reticulitis flowing into traumatic reticulopericarditis, the first thing does not reach the chronic form. Signs of traumatic reticulopericarditis are added to the initial symptoms:
- the beginning of the rise of a lying cow from the front legs, instead of the hind legs;
- unwillingness to go uphill;
- reluctant movement in the herd, a sick cow constantly lags behind.
With the development of the process, 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. On palpation in the region of the heart, the cow shows a reaction to pain. Due to the poor functioning of the heart, fluid is poorly excreted from the body, and cold edema 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 development of the process occurs very quickly or, conversely, drags on for several months.
It all depends on where the point 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 samples:
- Stand to the left of the cow. Bend your right leg (your own) at the knee, rest your elbow on your knee (also your own). Press with a fist in the area of the xiphoid process. The pressure is increased by raising the leg on the toe. An alternative to 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 skin fold at the withers and the skin is pulled up. The head of the cow is held in an extended position.
- They drive the cow downhill.
- Check the reaction with a hammer in the area of the xiphoid process.
With all these checks, the cow experiences an attack of pain. She lays down abruptly and groans. The disadvantage of samples is that they cannot be used to diagnose a specific pathology. You can only set the soreness in a certain area.
If the samples are positive, the problem can be specified using magnetic probes that are inserted into the grid. At the same time, those metal objects that are in the grid are removed. But only those foreign bodies that can capture the magnet and which have not yet gone beyond the grid. In the case of traumatic reticulopericarditis, the probe as a remedy is already useless.
Also, a metal detector and x-rays are used to detect foreign metal bodies. The latter also shows non-metallic objects.
Treatment of traumatic reticulopericarditis in cattle
The prognosis for the treatment of reticulopericarditis is unfavorable. Even the 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.”
Metal pieces are also not all you can get. Copper or aluminum does not stick to magnetic traps.
Carrying out diagnostics and surgery
Before the introduction of the probe, the cow is kept on a starvation diet for 12 hours with free access to water. If the cow does not drink herself, the water is forcibly drunk. Before diagnosis, be sure to solder 2 liters. Enter the probe 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 landmark from the outside is the 6-7th rib near the shoulder joint. The location of the magnet is determined using a compass.
The probe remains in the grid for up to 24 hours if traumatic reticulopericarditis is to be diagnosed. For the treatment of traumatic reticulitis, the magnet should be in the grid for 1,5-3 hours. Moreover, at this time, the cow must be driven over 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 manipulations are reversed to those used during the introduction. Remove adhering metal from the probe.
Cattle treatment
After removing the probe, while there is hope that the dangerous foreign body has been removed, the cattle are prescribed a diet and rest. The diet includes:
- jelly;
- bran chatter;
- flax decoction;
- good soft hay mixed with green grass.
The heart is supported with cold compresses applied to the appropriate area. Laxatives and diuretics are added to the feed to speed up the absorption of exudate.
To prevent the development of sepsis, cows are prescribed antibiotics and sulfonamides. To stimulate the respiratory system and the heart muscle, caffeine is prescribed subcutaneously. 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 cost effective.
The latter is almost always disadvantageous, except in cases of disease of especially valuable breeding cattle. But such cattle are unlikely to suffer from perversions of appetite and swallow glands. In all other cases, if the condition of the cow continues to deteriorate after probing, it is sent for slaughter.
Preventive measures
A private owner of a cow is unlikely to be able to “pull” the prevention of traumatic reticulopericarditis. He can only keep clean pastures, feeders and stalls, removing metal objects from there.
On farms, in addition to cleaning the area with a mine detector, magnetic rings or traps are implanted into the proventriculus of cows. Magnets attract iron and protect the abdominal cavity from the penetration of foreign objects. True, nowhere is it specified how these traps are cleared of debris. At the feed mill, magnetic equipment should 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. In highly productive dairy cows, with an incorrectly composed diet, the so-called “lizuha” develops. Cattle with vitamin and mineral deficiencies begin to suffer from perversion of appetite and swallow inedible objects.
Prevention of “lizuha” in cows – a balanced diet. Getting dairy cattle enough micronutrients prevents perversion of appetite. In dealing with the symptoms, rather than 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 carry out the treatment of cattle has not yet reached reticulopericaditis. But it is even better to reduce the risk of swallowing foreign objects by the cow, not skimping on quality feed and vitamin and mineral premixes.