Rainy seasons bring excitement to ruminates. The earth is lush and green, which means there is plenty to feed your livestock and time to do agribusiness. But the keeper must take care not to overfeed the livestock with the succulent pasture, which may cause bloat.
Bloat in bovines means gas accumulation in the rumen mainly caused by digestive disorder.
How bloat occurs in animals
There are two categories of bloat;
primary ruminal tympany commonly referred to as frothy bloat
Frothy bloat occurs when stable foam traps the regular fermentation gases in the rumen. The trapped gas inhibits the free movement of tiny gas bubbles, causing increased pressure in the rumen. Due to the stable, persistent foam, the affected animal can’t blech hence its vulnerability to bloat.
Two predisposing factors facilitate frothy bloat;
The Animal
The animal’s silva is composed of mucin, which has antifoam properties. With the help of its silver, the animal breaks down small chloroplast particles produced by succulent forage.
To avoid bloat from the feeds, the animal has to produce sufficient silva during digestion which is impossible with succulent forage. Succulent forage contains; saponins, Soluble leaf proteins, and hemicelluloses thought to cause foam in the rumen. With the quick digestibility of succulent forage and less saliva being produced, the antifoaming agents fail to counter the primary foam agents.
Pasture
Animals feeding on leguminous pasture have a higher chance of being affected by bloat. Young leguminous forage like alfalfa contains a high level of protein that is rapidly digested. Bloat affecting animals on leguminous pastures is commonly referred to as leguminous bloat.
In addition to feeds, supplementing your livestock with high levels of grains may lead to bloat. Finely grounded grain traps gas bubbles in the rumen due to its abundance of small particles. Furthermore, livestock will rapidly digest the grounded grain. Bloat affecting animals on feeds such as grains is called feedlot bloat.
secondary ruminal tympany or free-gas bloat
The main cause of free-gas bloat is a physical obstruction of the oesophagal. The blockage may be due to; foreign materials, e.g., fruits, tumours, or abscesses. Also, rumen infection or disorder may prevent the rumen’s normal rhythmic contraction, leading to bloating.
Another point to emphasize is the animal’s posture. Odd posture like dorsal recumbency during handling can lead to bloating.
7 clinical signs of bloat
Animals affected by bloat suddenly drop dead within a short period. Mainly bloat in pastured and feedlot livestock goes undetected. In lactating dairy, the keep may observe the signs indicating bloat. These signs may include;
- Sudden enlargement of the abdomen- the keeper may observe left shifting of the rumen. Later, the animal’s belly fully extends out words.
- Cessation of movement and feeding- the animal stops feeding and is reluctant to move.
- Respiration difficulties- the animal, has problems breathing due to the extended abdominal pressing on the breathing organs.
- Recumbency– during the late stage of bloat, the animal lays in a dorsal position, leading to death.
- Diarrheal- frothy bloat, in most cases, is associated with diarrheal.
- Frequent urination
- Mouth breathing
Final Thoughts
There are two significant types of bloat; frothy bloat and free-gas bloat. In each bloat case, different factors increase the chance of an attack by bloat. The keeper must remain alert if there is any case of suspected bloat.
