Synonyms

No known synonym

Name of the disease in English

Ruminal dinker-Indigestion in calves fed milk replacers

The disease in brief

A poorly closing esophageal gutter causes milk to accumulate and ferment in the rumen, leading to indigestion. This problem occurs in calves that are bucket fed, particularly on milk replacer. It is a major problem for calf producers.
butchers called "label", that is to say those who raise beef calves or crossbreeds with cow's milk distributed by the bucket. These specialized breeders are generally very familiar with the problem, its detection, its treatment and its prevention. The acute form of the disease is a bloating which hides a problem of indigestion with a chronic tendency.

Clinic & diagnosis

In its acute form it is a rumen bloat. It can manifest pain, teeth grinding, show colic. When the problem sets in it leads to poor growth, clayey feces with a rancid odor, distension of the left flank and succussion of the flank brings about liquid noises. A gastric tube allows the emptying of a putrid odor liquid.

Typical sign of the disease

No description

Pictures

See below

Diagnostic formulas

No description

Differential diagnosis

-Abomasum meteorization N360

- Dilation of the abomasum on the right side of the calf

Confirm a suspicion?

Passing a gastric tube allows the draining of a putrid smelling liquid.

Prognosis and treatment

Treatment of bloating should be followed by rehabilitation of the calf:

1-Pass a gastric tube to empty the rumen of its putrefied contents, rinse with water 2 to 3 times until obtaining a rinse water almost without odor; then, add anti-infectives (antibiotics or sulfonamides used against common diarrhea) in the last rinse water which is
left in the stomach.
2- Re-educate the calf to drink towards the abomasum: The calf is deprived of milk for 1 day. It only receives water. Then resume drinking from
small quantities with a nipple bucket attached under the bottom of the bucket.

Prevention

To avoid this problem:
– Put a pacifier in the bottom of the usual buckets.
– Quickly identify calves that have difficulty digesting milk drunk from a bucket “with their heads down”.
– Raise the buckets and make the calves suck with their “heads in the air”.

References

Veterinary Medicine-Pocket companion -9th Edition BLOOD DC-page 97