Rumen tympany in a cow is an excessive accumulation of gases in the rumen. This disease is considered very serious; if its symptoms are detected, treatment must be started immediately. The acute form of tympany can lead to fatal outcome. In this article we will talk about the symptoms of bloat in ruminants and explain the etiology of this disease. We will also describe in detail the methods of treating this disease.

The digestive system of ruminants is designed in a special way. The stomach of a cow consists of four parts (chambers) - rumen, mesh, book and abomasum; each of them performs specific functions in digestive system. The rumen is the largest chamber of the cow's stomach; it fills the entire left side abdominal cavity.

Ruminants grind and digest food differently than other animals. After passing through the esophagus, parts of the food first enter the rumen. When the cow eats a certain amount of feed and partially fills the rumen, she stops eating and begins to chew the mass “spitted out” from the rumen. That is, the animal, as it were, accumulates food in the rumen and then chews it.

Structure of the cow's stomach

Thoroughly soaked and mixed food from the rumen is returned in small portions back to the oral cavity, where it is re-ground and treated with saliva. The food then falls into a mesh that controls only small particles of food from flowing into the next layer. Next, in the abomasum, the main stages of digestion occur.

One of the functions of the rumen is fermentation. This part of the stomach secretes large number gases, more than 100 liters per day. These gases aid in the digestion process. If the system for releasing gases is disrupted and the cow cannot belch them, rumen tympany occurs.

Bloat in ruminants is provoked by the consumption of large amounts of highly concentrated fermenting feed: clover, cabbage leaves, alfalfa, turnips, potatoes, soybeans. When a lot of gases accumulate in the rumen and they are not removed from the animal’s body, the walls of the proventriculus expand. The scar pushes against other organs located in the abdominal cavity. This results in the cow being unable to eat, and if the bloat is not treated, she may die.

The pathogenesis of tympania can be dangerous food or mold, which affects the flora of the stomach. Rotten silage or hay, frozen root vegetables, grazing on pasture after rain or frost, eating young clover or overeating are the main prerequisites for the occurrence of bloat in cows.

There are three forms of tympany:

1. acute;
2. foamy - mixing gases with food;
3. chronic.

Symptoms

In acute form:

• the abdomen is growing rapidly, namely its left part (the area where the scar is located);
• when palpated, this area is tight (hard);
• initially strengthening, and then stopping the movement of the scar;
• refusal of food;
• difficulty breathing;
• animal anxiety;
• vomit.

With foamy tympany, the cow's anxiety is less pronounced than with acute tympany. All of the above symptoms are observed. Chronic bloating is more common mild symptoms, which are expressed after eating. A cow with this form gradually loses weight. At acute bloating If treatment is not started in time, the animal may die within 2-3 hours. Chronic tympany can last from 1 week to 2 months; if the disease is not treated, the cow also dies.

Treatment

If symptoms of bloating are detected, it is necessary to immediately begin rescuing the animal. The animal is positioned so that the front of the body is higher than the back; in this position, gases will be easier to escape through the mouth. The left side is watered cold water and then massaged with a bunch of straw. It is also necessary to put the mouths on the cow so that the animal cannot close its mouth.

You can also induce belching by rhythmically sticking out the animal's tongue. Another method that promotes the release of gases is irritating the palate with a rope.

If the above procedures do not help, then a metal probe is inserted through the mouth into the cow's esophagus. To do this, a plug with a hole is installed in the cow's oral cavity and secured with a cord. And then a probe lubricated with oil is slowly inserted through the hole. If you feel an obstacle when inserting the tube, the probe must be pulled back a little and slowly inserted into the cow's throat again.

After inserting the tube into the stomach, gases should freely exit the cow's rumen. Periodically, you need to clean the probe cover, because food particles can get into it along with gases and clog it. When most of the gases have come out, 1 liter of a mixture of water and vodka (50/50) or 1 liter of water with a tablespoon of vinegar dissolved in it is poured into the probe. This solution can be improved by adding a spoonful of ammonia or soap. Also, sick cattle are prescribed ichthyol 10-20 grams (depending on the weight of the animal), formaldehyde 10-15 ml or Lysol 5-10 ml mixed with 1-2 liters of water.

If the above methods do not help, then the veterinarian punctures the scar. The hair on the most protruding part of the cow's left side is cut off and the site of the intended puncture is thoroughly disinfected. The removal of gases from the rumen is done using a special tube. The veterinarian should monitor the release of gases and, if they are released quickly, close the hole in the tube with a finger. After the gases leave the stomach, the tube remains in it for several more hours and only then is removed. After removing the tube, the wound must be thoroughly washed with warm boiled water, then disinfected with alcohol. You need to treat the puncture site until it is completely healed.

During the recovery period it is prescribed special diet for a cow. To restore motor function, ruminators are prescribed. It is very important to closely monitor the animal until it recovers completely. If gases were removed through a puncture, then better than a cow separated from the herd while the wound heals.

Prevention

In order to avoid the development of bloat in ruminants, it is necessary to limit or exclude from the diet the percentage of fermenting feed, such as: cabbage leaves, alfalfa, turnips, potatoes, soybeans. And also monitor the condition of the food that the livestock takes. It should not be damp or moldy. Before being put out on pasture, especially with abundant grass and after rain, cows are first fed on a pasture that is poor in vegetation or given hay. After winter period It is necessary for the animal to gradually get used to green food.

Controlling the diet and proper selection of pasture will prevent disease in large animals. cattle. At the slightest symptoms It is necessary to begin treatment of the animal, since this disease progresses very quickly and often ends in death. Treat acute form Tympany should only be performed by a veterinarian. Proper care and keeping the animal in favorable conditions, control of diet contributes to his health.

Video “How a cow’s rumen works”

The video explains how a cow's rumen works and what the diet should be like to avoid diseases of this organ.

Often suffers from rumen tympania. Most often, the disease is provoked as a result of violation of the regime by shepherds and certain rules grazing cows. In this article we will discuss in detail what the disease is, how it manifests itself and how to treat rumen tympania in cows. We will also pay attention to the etiology of the disease.

Important to know

During illness, a huge amount of gases are formed that accumulate in the anterior part of the stomach. It may seem that this is a completely harmless disease, but if help is not provided in a timely manner, bovine rumen tympany will develop into acute stage, and the animal will die.

Therefore, every person who decides to get involved should know absolutely everything about the symptoms and methods of treating this pathology.

What is rumen tympania in animals and how does the disease progress?

Tympany is bloating in the stomach, which is caused by excessive gas formation caused by consuming fast-fermenting feed. The animal may completely stop belching gases or do it much less frequently, which leads to the rapid development of rumen tympany.

It is worth remembering that tympany leads not only to swelling of the scar, but also to its stretching. Blood sugar levels can seriously drop, disrupting the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats. Due to increased scar size internal organs located in the abdominal cavity are compressed, and blood flow into chest is significantly reduced. This can lead to a decrease in lung volume and systolic volume heart, as well as to deterioration of gas exchange and oxygen starvation.

What causes the disease

Most often, cows whose diet contains large quantities of:

• alfalfa;
• wiki;
• beet;
• cabbage;
• rotten or damp grass.

The occurrence of pathology can be facilitated by the consumption of rotten or spoiled feed.

Development of pathology

As a rule, fermentation of feed in the stomach is natural physiological process. Some of the formed gases are expelled, the other part moves into the intestines. But if the balance of liquid is disturbed, and there is too much of it, fermentation becomes more intense, which ends in foaming of the digested feed masses. Because of this, the animal is deprived of the opportunity to burp excess gas, and the rumen turns into a closed container.

Causes of the disease

Tympany can have the following stages and forms:

• subacute;
• acute;
• chronic;
• primary and secondary forms.

The acute stage of the primary form can be caused by eating large quantities of potatoes and alfalfa, beets and ripe clover, wet greens, rotten apples, legumes, and corn cobs. Rumen tympany in a cow develops incredibly quickly if the animal is taken to water immediately after finishing the above-mentioned meal. In this case, it is necessary to urgently seek help from specialists, as the animal may stop producing milk.

The secondary form of the disease appears after eating poisonous plants, such as:

• aconite;
• hemlock;
• vekh poisonous;
• Colchicum

Chronic form requires long-term treatment, and it appears in those cows that have traumatic radiculitis or chronic gastritis.

Symptoms

The emerging scar tympany can be easily identified on initial stage, you just need to observe the behavior of the cow. The animal refuses food and becomes restless, which is associated with discomfort in the chest area, as well as painful sensations in the front of the abdomen. At the same time, the cow constantly lies down and gets up, examines her stomach, beats with her hooves, hunches her back, waves her tail and moos. In a sick animal, physiological processes also change:

• enlargement of veins located on the head;
• breathing is rapid, heavy, accompanied by wheezing and coughing;
• bluish mucous membranes;
• saliva becomes foamy;
• the process of rumination stops;
• vomit;
• complete cessation of rumen movement;
• the hungry pit is leveled, which leads to an increase in the volume of the abdomen.

Noticing similar signs, it is necessary to provide first aid to the cow, without which she will simply die in 2-3 hours. With acute rumen tympany, the restless behavior of cattle is more pronounced than with foamy rumen.

If the animal has a chronic form of the disease, then the symptoms are less pronounced and appear only after eating. A sick cow will gradually lose weight, and lack of proper care and treatment will lead to death. It is not recommended to delay providing first aid, since a cow with a similar diagnosis lives no more than two months.

Tympany of the rumen in a cow: treatment

Before you begin to treat an animal, it is necessary to establish the cause of the onset and development of the disease. First of all, you need to examine the pharynx and palpate the esophagus. It is best to use a probe; it can be used to provoke the separation of gases from the proventriculus.

If during the inspection you were able to detect a foreign body or object, then you must proceed as follows:

• pour it down an animal's throat vegetable oil;
• remove the foreign body with your hands or a probe;
• if a blockage is identified, you need to break it using boiled potatoes, which are pressed through the walls of the esophagus;
• call a veterinarian.

If the cow is in serious condition or the blockage is caused by a tumor, the doctor may decide to perform surgery. In this case, the veterinarian will give you a medical history. Scar tympany requires immediate treatment. The cow is placed in such a way that the front part of the body is higher than the back, thereby facilitating belching. You also need to pour cold water on your left side and then massage it with straw. To prevent the cow from closing her mouth, mouthpieces are put on.

You can induce a burp using a rope, which is used to irritate the palate. And also rhythmically stick out the cow’s tongue - this will help get rid of excess gases.

Probing

If the above methods do not produce results, you will have to insert a metal probe into the animal’s oral cavity. Before starting the procedure, it is necessary to secure a special plug in the mouth with a through hole through which an oil-lubricated probe will pass. If an obstacle occurs during probing, you should pull out the tube and try to reinsert it into the pharynx.

If probing is successful, gases should easily exit the rumen. It is necessary to periodically clean the probe cover, as it can become clogged with small food particles. When most of the gases have been removed, a solution of vinegar (1 tbsp) and water (1 l) is poured into the tube. One of the following drugs is also administered:

• "Formalin" (10-15 ml).
• "Lysol" (5-10 ml per 1-2 liters of water).
• "Ichthyol" (10-20 g).

Surgical intervention

If probing does not bring the desired result, the veterinarian punctures the scar. To do this, you need to cut the hair on the left side and thoroughly disinfect the puncture site. By piercing the side and inserting the tube, gases begin to be released. After they are completely removed, the tube remains in the stomach for several hours and then is removed. The wound must be washed thoroughly boiled water and disinfect with alcohol or vodka. Damage must be treated until complete healing.

During the quarantine period, cattle are prescribed a special diet. It is recommended to use ruminators that help restore motor function. While the damaged area is healing, the animal that has suffered from rumen tympania is separated from the herd, observing its condition and behavior.

Calves

Pathologies caused by malfunction gastric tract in calves, often lead to bloating. As a rule, such problems arise if you do not adhere to simple conditions keeping young animals. Most often, individuals who are bottle-fed are at risk.

Newborn calves kept in unsanitary conditions often suffer from colibacillosis and white diarrhea. In order to avoid similar problems, it is necessary to administer anti-colibacillosis serum to a calf that is 2-3 hours old. This will help develop

Most often, calves are affected by the disease in the first week of their life. Infection can occur through feeding from an untreated udder or drinking water from a dirty container. The disease can be identified by the following signs:

• liquid stool that has a grayish-white tint;
• elevated temperature;
• bloated stomach;
• weakness;
• cloudy look.

If not dealt with in time, it is doomed to death.

Having discovered rumen tympany in a calf, it is necessary to carefully diagnose the animal. To avoid the death of cattle, it is worth taking preventive measures before calving. First of all you need to create good conditions feeding and maintaining pregnant cows. When sick animals appear, isolate and disinfect the pen special solution. It is worth remembering that during the death of cattle, a forensic veterinary autopsy is performed. If veterinarian indicates in the protocol “Rumen Tympany”, and also establishes the fact that you have not created appropriate conditions for keeping and breeding livestock, an administrative or criminal case may be opened against you.

After calves are born, perform a thorough inspection. Experts strongly recommend vaccination immune serum even sick animals. The dosage depends on the condition of the calf.

Other diseases, such as paratyphoid and dysentery, can also lead to tympany. In such cases, the treatment is no different from that prescribed for animals defecating white diarrhea.

Prevention for cows

Prevention of this disease is strict adherence rules and regime for feeding cows. Before transferring cows to pasture, provide training for cattlemen, shepherds or shepherds, telling them about the rules of grazing.

Cows must gradually become accustomed to pasture feed. Reduce daily portions of concentrate and hay, and gradually increase the time allotted for grazing.

It is necessary to begin grazing cattle on pastures rich in young grass only after preliminary feeding with concentrates or hay. As a rule, cows that have not previously grazed are taken to areas with less rich grass, and a few hours later they are transferred to more abundant pasture. It is contraindicated to graze cows on alfalfa, clover, young grass, as well as after rain or during dew.

In order to prevent tympany, it is necessary to feed stillage, as well as easily fermented succulent feed immediately after harvesting, and avoid storing it in the rain or in heaps. TO succulent feed include:

• early winter crops;
• young grass;
• alfalfa;
• corn greens;
• clover;
• cabbage leaf, etc.

Cattle need regular watering (3-4 times a day). It is not recommended to give water after feeding them a large amount of green and succulent feed or immediately before grazing on luscious pastures. During the stall period, such a disease occurs much less frequently if, along with other activities, constant walking of cows or long walks (from 3 hours a day) are organized.

A swollen rumen in a cow can be fatal if not treated promptly. Therefore, everyone who breeds cattle should be familiar with the symptoms of the disease and know what to do if they are detected.

Rumen tympany is a disease that is accompanied by the accumulation of a large amount of gases in one of the organs of the esophagus. As a result, feed movement may be blocked. This seemingly harmless and quite common disease in cows can result in the death of the animal.

If a cow consumes large quantities of fast-fermenting feed, then large quantities of gases are formed in the stomach. This causes the scar to swell. Since the belching of gases decreases and may subsequently stop altogether, bloating occurs rapidly.

The reason most often is overeating raw green mass, which could be contaminated. Promotes bloating overuse alfalfa, beets, cabbage. If the feed is spoiled or rotten, the consequence may be rumen tympany in the cow. Sometimes the question arises why the calf big belly. For a detailed answer, let’s look at how the digestion process occurs in cows.

The fact is that the pancreas (called the scar) has a large capacity. It occupies almost the entire left side of the animal. The eaten food enters the rumen, where it is processed by rumen fluid. After belching, the food returns to the oral cavity and is chewed again. That's why they say that a cow chews cud all the time. By the way, the cow itself produces vitamin B, unlike all other animals that need to get it from vitamin supplements.

Microorganisms found in the rumen not only contribute to the excretion from food useful substances, but are also a “factory” for the production of vitamin B. A large volume of gases in the rumen leads to its expansion and extensive bloating can be observed in the calf. In calves, tympania is dangerous because the lungs are compressed and their normal operation, which can lead to asphyxia. Due to compression, the heart and blood vessels also cannot work as usual. If assistance is not provided, the calf may die within 3-4 hours.

Thus, the main reason that the calf has bloating is a violation of the rules of nutrition. Care must be taken to ensure that the calf does not eat large quantities of feed that cause fermentation in the stomach. When it has rained and dew has fallen, animals should be grazed for a short time.

Wet clover and alfalfa can cause a bloated stomach. Animals should be fed and walked regularly. Eating greedily and quickly can cause air to enter the stomach and insufficient chewing. A long period of hunger also leads to tympany. Secondary tympany in cows can be caused by eating poisonous plants:

• aconite;
• Colchicum;
• cicuta;
• Veh is poisonous.

Symptoms and diagnosis

The first symptom is the cow's restless behavior, poor appetite. She fans herself with her tail to fan herself, hunches over, and often makes sounds. He keeps looking back at his stomach and kicking it. It is difficult for an animal to be in any position: it will either lie down or stand up. No rise in temperature is observed.

The cow breathes shallowly, often opening her mouth, coughing and moaning. Saliva flows from the mouth, the tongue is hanging out, and the veins on the head are distended. Important sign- protrusion of the cow’s left hungry pit with a sharp bloating of the abdomen. On palpation, the hungry fossa is tense, the left side protrudes. The cow literally falls off her feet.

If the calf has a swollen belly, and this is due to organic changes in the esophagus, proventriculus or intestines, then tympania can be chronic, that is, it can be repeated periodically. Then the animal’s life is always under threat. Experts recommend using such a cow for meat.

Treatment and prevention

To successfully treat rumen tympany, you must determine exactly why the cow is acting restless. The first thing to do is to examine the cow's throat and palpate the esophagus. The insertion of a probe will make the examination more thorough, and some of the gases will be removed from the proventriculus. Perhaps the scar is caused by the presence foreign body. In this case, it is removed. Pour vegetable oil down the throat. Can mechanically: by hand, using a probe. Sometimes you have to resort to surgical intervention. At in serious condition resort to scar puncture. If timely treatment is not started, the animal may die.

If the course of the disease is chronic or it occurs at an initial stage, then radical measures not required. It is enough to chase the calf and massage the abdomen. Relief will come if you induce a belch. To do this, you need to stretch your tongue with rhythmic movements. The main thing is to reduce the formation of gases. You can give the cow to drink 3 liters of milk, after which the animal is put on a starvation diet for 24 hours. Then they gradually switch to a normal diet. The hay must be of high quality. In order for digestion to normalize, the cow is fed bitters and care is taken to ensure that she maximum time was in motion.

In order to prevent the disease, you should adhere to the following feeding rules:

• give succulent food;
• be sure to enrich the diet with roughage;
• systematically audit feed;
• after a large amount of succulent food, limit water consumption;
• Legumes should be diluted with straw.

Farmers should know that disease is easier to prevent than to treat. Therefore, it is necessary to make timely diagnosis.

When found gastrointestinal diseases timely treatment should be carried out. Subject to these simple rules you can have a healthy livestock.

Video “Tympany, which led to rumen atony in a cow”

From this video you will learn how to treat a cow whose tympany has led to rumen atony.

Rumen swelling in cows (tympany) is the accumulation of a large volume of gases in one of the organs of the esophagus, resulting from sharp growth gas formation, or blockage (blocking the movement of feed masses) to the animal’s stomach.

What is a scar

Digestion in cows is very in an interesting way. Many people have heard that cows are ruminants. But few people know what exactly led to this definition.

There are two concepts involved here - the oral cavity and the scar.

Everything is clear with the oral cavity, but the scar is the pre-gastric section of a large, one might say, huge container. It takes up almost all left side sides of the cow's body. All the food the cow eats ends up in the rumen. There it is treated with rumen fluid with thorough mixing and, when regurgitated, it returns to the oral cavity, where another chewing occurs. This may happen several times. Therefore, an outside observer has the feeling that cows are constantly chewing cud. In principle, that’s how it is.

Another thing happens in the rumen important process. It constantly contains microorganisms (protozoa), which actively help the separation necessary for the body animals, nutrients. At the same time, they produce vitamin B, which is very valuable for everyone. Only ruminants have their own “factory” for its production. All other animals receive it from the outside.

What is the danger of tympany

At sharp increase(accumulation) in the rumen of cows of an excessively large amount of gases, its expansion occurs. Since it is located in close proximity to the animal’s lungs, there is a direct impact on them (compression). For normal functioning, the lungs need free volume to expand when inhaling, but due to the fact that there is none (the entire space is occupied by a swollen scar), the lungs cannot work normally. And with a further increase in pressure from the rumen, asphyxia occurs (cessation of breathing due to physical impact on the respiratory organs).

Another danger is cardiovascular failure. Again, due to compression, the heart and surrounding vessels cannot function normally.

If assistance is not provided in a timely manner, the death of the animal occurs within 3–4 hours.

Cause of the disease

Symptoms of the disease

In the initial stage, this is restless behavior. Cows moo, lie down and get up without visible reasons, trying to consider what is happening to their stomach. Then the appetite disappears and salivation increases, the stomach and left side begin to enlarge. The contractions of the scar itself first become more frequent, then become weak and disappear completely. Ruminant function stops. Body temperature increases significantly. After a short period of time, the swelling increases so much that it is simply impossible not to see it.

The disease can occur in two forms - acute and chronic. In acute form it is necessary immediate intervention for assistance. In chronic cases, simply rule out the causes. If this is not done, the animal will lose weight, lose its ability to produce milk, and end up being culled.

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Treatment of the disease

Like any other disease, tympany in cows is easiest to cure at the initial stage. When the first signs of this disease appear, it is immediately necessary to carry out a set of countermeasures that will lead to the animal’s recovery:

• stopping grazing in areas conducive to the occurrence of the disease;
• removal of disease-causing feed from the diet;
• physical impact (massage) of the area where the scar is located;
• bridling (bandaging) with a rope or a tourniquet of straw;
• dousing with cold water.

If the disease has a pronounced, acute form, it is necessary to carry out complex therapy, which should be aimed at reducing the volume of gas in the rumen, reducing its ability to ferment, eliminating toxic elements accumulated in the body and normalizing the animal’s cardiovascular activity.

Gases are removed by inserting a probe (thick hose) through the oral cavity to the scar. In this case it is necessary external massage swollen area and the animal should be in a position in which the front of the body is significantly higher than the back.

After removing the gases, the rumen is washed, introducing large (up to 10 liters) volumes of water several times, followed by a reverse discharge, along with the newly formed gases.

To clean and eliminate the chemical binding of gases, using a rubber bottle, give several liters of fresh milk with water in which about 300 grams of charcoal is dissolved and about a liter of water, dissolved in 20 grams of magnesium oxide.

To reduce fermentation processes and gas formation, formalin, ichthyol, turpentine, alcohol solution iodine and other agents that have disinfectant properties.

Bring it back to normal cardiovascular activity, as well as possible poisoning can be eliminated by intravenous administration of glucose, caffeine and sodium chloride solution.

If it is not possible to remove gases through the animal's mouth, a puncture of the scar should be made; in extreme cases, you can use a regular knife, making an incision if there is no trocar. It should be remembered that the release of gases should occur slowly.

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Video - State of rumen microflora

Igor Nikolaev

Reading time: 5 minutes

A A

The largest of the four sections of the stomach is the rumen. He performs important functions implementation of the chewing gum process. Thanks to it, food is crushed and subsequently digested. Chewing begins forty minutes after finishing the feed, when it liquefies in the rumen.

The microflora of the first of the forestomachs should be favorable. But certain factors affect it negatively. As a result, cattle are diagnosed with rumen tympania.

The rumen holds from one hundred to three hundred liters of food. It is located on the left and occupies a huge part of the abdominal cavity. Her inner side without glands, the surface is rough due to small papillae.

Tympany of the rumen in a cow is non-communicable disease. It is characterized by rapid gas formation or disruption of the proventriculus. The scar increases in size and puts pressure on other organs, interfering with normal blood flow.

The cow's digestive system allows for the fermentation of the food it eats. It's natural physiological phenomenon. During regurgitation of food from the rumen into the oral cavity for grinding, gases partially escape. Their volume is also large - about one hundred liters. Most of them are removed during the chewing process.

When there is an excess of mushy contents in the stomach, gas bubbles foam the food. The medical history begins with the fact that gases stop coming out because belching disappears. The scar seems to close.

There are a number of reasons for scar swelling:

• long breaks between meals. A hungry animal does not chew food well, especially heavy or too juicy food;
• eating food that is prone to fermentation. These are beets, corn and cabbage leaves. Wet alfalfa, clover and other legumes, winter crops, frozen root vegetables;
• eating spoiled foods, such as rotten silage or hay;
• lack of exercise. Weak motor activity promotes disturbances in the digestive process and retention of gases in the rumen;
• walking on a pasture where the grass is covered with moisture, especially when it is young and cold after a light frost.

Experts cite the preconditions that, when occurring simultaneously, lead to tympany in cows. Among them are an excess of gases, the appearance of acute atony (weakening of rumen contractions) and too much mushy mass in the forestomach.

Why should an animal not consume raw food? The fact is that they lead to the rapid entry of food into the book and abomasum (two sections of the stomach). Then they end up in the intestines, irritating its receptors. The forestomachs stop contracting and working normally. The muscles and bridge of the book are attacked by a spasm.

Due to the blockage of the hole with food, gases cannot be eliminated from the rumen. Mixing with the content occurs. The scar swells, the pressure in it increases.

In addition to the fact that the largest section of the stomach increases, carbohydrate-fat metabolism changes in it:

1. the content of sugar, ketone bodies and reserve alkalinity in the blood is significantly reduced;
2. blood enters chest cavity very bad;
3. the ventricles of the heart do not relax well;
4. the lungs do not expand enough when inhaling;
5. oxygen starvation occurs.

Symptoms of tympany in cattle

The pathology can be determined by the attentive owner of the animal already at the first symptoms with which the medical history begins:

• excited and restless state;
• refusal of any food;
• stomping on the spot, fanning the tail;
• salivation increases;
• the animal looks back at its stomach, hunches its back and moos;
• if he lies down, he tries to get up faster;
• with the cessation of contraction of the rumen, the chewing gum also disappears;
• bloating becomes visually noticeable.

To these signs you can add several more that may not appear. Body temperature sometimes rises above normal. The cow breathes quickly and heavily, her chest heaves. In severe cases, she opens her mouth and coughs. Saliva flows from the mouth with foam, the tongue hangs out. The mucous membranes become bluish. Blood rushes to the veins in the head, neck and udder.

The left hungry fossa of the animal protrudes and is compared with the level of the lumbar vertebrae. When palpated, its wall is too tense. The volume of the abdomen becomes abnormally large. The cow gets into a urinating position, but a little bit of it is released, as is feces. Sometimes she falls and dies in convulsions.

According to the course of the disease, the following courses are distinguished: acute, secondary and chronic:

1. the acute form comes from the food eaten. Young plants, particularly moist ones, legumes, rotten apples or other foods cause acute course diseases. The process will start even faster if you drink a lot of water after eating such a meal;
2. the secondary form is characteristic of animals that have eaten poisonous herbs. These can be aconite, colchicum, poisonous wech, hemlock and a number of others. They lead to paralysis of the rumen walls. This also includes blockage of the esophagus or pharynx, problems with chewing gum and lack of belching. Before this, the cow could have eaten whole potato tubers, root vegetables, or accidentally swallowed a foreign inedible object. IN in rare cases the cause is a tumor;
3. The chronic form occurs when tympany progresses slowly, the signs are not clearly expressed. More often, the prerequisites for it are gastritis, traumatic radiculitis or intestinal pathologies. This can be any disease in which the motor function of the rumen is impaired. The animal begins to lose weight due to lack of appetite and the ability to eat. This phenomenon often occurs in calves during the transition from milk to other feeds.

In the first scenario, the medical history will be short if treatment does not occur. In some cases, the cow dies within hours. The chronic form can last up to two months.

It is important for a specialist to take into account all clinical picture, having studied the medical history, so as not to confuse tympany with another pathology. In particular, the symptoms are similar to esophageal obstruction, when the swelling of the scar is secondary. Ignore fever as main feature because it could be anthrax and other infections.

Treatment of disease in cows

If acute tympany occurs in a herd with a large number Cattle, coping with the problem is becoming more difficult. The rapid course of the disease can overtake several individuals at once, and help will come too late. However, it is necessary for a cattle owner to know about treatment methods because tympany occurs frequently.

Primary methods

When the animal is not yet too weak and can stand in a standing position, you can try the following available methods:

These simple techniques allow the scar to stop putting pressure on the organs; they move away from the diaphragm. The cow can breathe more freely after this. Gas exchange in the lungs becomes better. In a non-critical situation, belching will appear and gases will escape.

Drug therapy

But sometimes the farmer does not have the opportunity to perform these manipulations; he needs to act immediately on the spot:

1. the cow must be positioned so that rear end the body was lower than the front;
2. it is necessary to eliminate gases in the rumen and do everything possible to prevent them from continuing to accumulate. A probe is placed into the stomach; it can be an ordinary thin, clean hose;
3. the probe should be installed at the level of the narrowing of the esophagus - gases are collected here;
4. the hose is moved back and forth to eliminate blockage of the lumen;
5. They try to pull the cow by the tongue, insert a strong rope or a stick with a scarf soaked in kerosene into its mouth. So there is a high probability of causing a burp.

Gas formation affects physical and chemical changes in the organs of the cow, effective drugs There is no treatment for tympany. Because the primary task is to get rid of gases. The turn of the medicine comes when it is necessary to start the forestomach and intestines.

Besides, medicines help stimulate the process of chewing gum, the formation of belching, force the intestines to empty and remove fermentation in the rumen:

• They resort to giving milk as an auxiliary technique. The animal is given about three liters of fresh product to drink;
• Vegetable charcoal powder and burnt magnesia are recommended;
• a liter of ichthyol solution or one hundred milliliters of kerosene mixed with water stops fermentation, the formation of gases and helps reduce the rumen;
• use special drugs, destroying foam.

Traditional methods

Known and traditional methods treatment of rumen tympania in a cow when there are no available medications:

• Four hundred milliliters of vodka, diluted in half with water, is poured inside:
• use hellebore tincture, a maximum of twenty milliliters.
• One hundred milliliters of turpentine is used along with vodka.
• The cow is given infusions of cumin, dill, and valerian to drink.
• The liquid is made from half a glass of kerosene, fifty grams of alcohol and four hundred water.

Of all these options, the most accessible one is chosen so that the animal can drink any of these mixtures and tinctures.

Surgical intervention

When the animal’s condition does not improve, but on the contrary, it becomes increasingly difficult for him to breathe, even to the point of suffocation, a rumen puncture is prescribed. It should be done by a specialist or an experienced farmer.

Scar puncture

1. To carry out the procedure, a special surgical instrument, a trocar, is taken.
2. The cow must be placed on its feet and restrained so that it does not shake its tail or kick.
3. The puncture is made in the left hungry fossa. The instrument should be inserted sharply towards the right elbow.
4. After this, gases will gradually begin to escape, otherwise their rapid release can lead to the animal losing consciousness.
5. It is necessary to ensure that food particles do not stick to the trocar and that food waste does not enter the abdominal cavity.
6. After eliminating the gases, pour through the tool sleeve disinfectants and take it out. The sleeve can remain there for about six hours, but ten is enough, otherwise there may be inflammation of the peritoneum.
7. The puncture site is smeared with iodine and a swab soaked in collodion is left.

If the operation is successful, the cow will need time to recover. It is advisable that she be kept separate from other individuals. In the first hours, up to 24 hours, the cow should be kept hungry.

After this period has expired, you can start giving light foods: silage, sugar beets, hay. Volumes should be small, but eat up to six times a day. Only after a few days is it possible to consume concentrated feed.

Prevention of tympany

The owner of a cattle breeding farm and all his employees must take care proper feeding animals. First of all, the onset of scar tympany depends on this factor. In addition to quality feeding, you need to change food on time and notice rotten silage.

You should not graze your flock for a long time in clover meadows, or drive it out into such fields in frost and excessive humidity. Because of early morning dew, cows should graze on mown meadows or areas poor in grass. At later hours, the livestock can be moved to areas “richer” in vegetation. But not for long, about an hour or an hour and a half.

It's better to walk around at this time. Before leaving the pen, you can feed the cow hay so that she does not eat grass greedily.

At the end of the stall period and with the beginning of grazing, the animal should gradually get used to the new, fresh and succulent feed. For this the first grazing lasts no more than five hours. Every day you can add minutes and bring the time up to fourteen or sixteen hours in the summer.