Calf bloat?

[corine]

Does anyone have any experience with bloat in calves about 6-8 weeks old? Had the 3rd case in 3 days now, vet seems at a loss. This bloat progresses very fast! Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Muttley]

Could you tell us more, such what are you feeding them or what type of grass are they on.
Anytime I've had bloat it is usually associated to something to do with the feed if there is more than one case.

[corine]

Muttley, the cows are still on silage, not a whole lot of grass here yet. The calves aren't being fed anything extra.

[pandiana]

Some years I have had this problem which has been called 'colicky bloat' generically. It occurs most often when calves are confined in feedlots or smaller pens where they are exposed to pathagens and can occur secondarily to bacterial diarrhea.
We have a 'cocktail' that we give the calves comprised of 200 ml antigas, 200 ml mineral oil, 200 ml kaopectate, 200 ml Hibitane and 20 ml of oxytetracyline administered by stomach tube. You should see improvement within 2-4 hrs.

No improvement could indicate a twisted gut which would require immediate surgery if the calve was to be saved.

[cowman]

About ten years ago I had a similar problem. The bloat was so rapid the calf would die in about two hours. The vet was lost. If I got right on them the minute they even looked funny I could sometimes save them. I hammered them hard with Tri-vetrin and doused them with sulfa-methazine and some bloat medicine. I cut open a dead one and all the little fingers in his stomach just were sloughing off. Sent one down to the lab and the diagnosis was they didn't have a clue(what else is new?). It cleared up once they were out on green grass. I suspect it was some sort of bug. Some of the ones that made it lost quite a bit of hair afterwards, suggesting they got pretty hot. Never had it again. These calves were on their mothers but big enough to eat a bit of hay.

[Muttley]

Talked to a fellow last night that has alot of sick calves. No bloat but temperatures are up and the calves just don't look right. When he finally lost one he sent it to the lab to see what was happening. The diagnosis was that it was complications from some sort of mold or fungis in the feed. He says the hay looks good but there must be something in there a person can't see or smell.

[bob-b]

I had a neighbor tell me the other day that he lost a calf to bloat ... he cut it open and found that the calf had eaten a big wad of hay and it had wore a hole right through it's stomach ... strange but true I guess ......

[corine]

Thanks for the replies, we're still getting a few cases. We think it's scour related, although they're not passing anything. What we're giving them is a drench of mineral & vegetable oil, with a little detergent mixed in. Then we hose them. It's over in a few hours but you have to catch them early and it is very hot.

[kato]

Have you been having any pneumonia problems? Sometimes cattle will bloat after a bout of pneumonia. It's got something to do with damage to the nerves involving the rumen. The stomachs don't function properly, and things get backed up. It wouldn't hurt to check their temperatures, and if they are up, give them some antibiotics.

[laxdal]

Lots of ideas on this. We seem to have at least one incidence like this every year, the bloat comes on fast and the calf is gone soon. We've never been able to save one, usually find them dead in the evening or am. A few years ago I took one in to the vet, he diagnosed parotinitis (sp?) from stomach ulcers. We opened it up and the stomach (I'm not sure which one) had several holes in it that had let the contents out to cause the bloat.
He sewed up the stomach, cleaned it out, put in 500cc of penicilin and sewed it up. Calf died 2 hrs later, the bill came 1 month later. The vet said this was a common enough problem, cause unknown in fast growing calfs and the ones that die do seem to be a good size. Perhaps they are putting through more grass/hay then their young stomach can handle yet.

[cowman]

I usually get one calf a year that dies of stomach ulcers. Usually it is one of the biggest calves. My vet tried to tell me it is a BVD problem(standard excuse when they don't have a clue!) but I have vaccinated for this for 20 years! I suspect it is a problem with what they might be eating. Maybe rough hay or dirt? We never had this problem until we started using big exotic bloodlines. Maybe its like chickens....we've pushed them too far and we start getting problems?

[corine]

Our vet told us that stomach ulcers usually happen to fast growing calves, on cows that aren't very high milking. This causes stress to the calf. But maybe also these calves would be the ones taking to hay/grass too soon?

[pandiana]

I would agree that my single experience with ulcers was in an extremely fast growing calf. It was fairly easy to distinguish the symtoms of ulcers from colicky bloat once the ulcers had perforated The calf would have a somewhat swollen belly and stand up while grunting and grinding teeth in obvious discomfort. With colick bloat or a twisted gut, the calves are more acute, kicking at their belly and throwing themselves on the ground repeatedly.

[lbluck]

We had a nice big calf badly bloated, tubed it with antigas/mineral oil/warm water. When it died later the last stomach was FULL of hair (the color of the calf not the cow). We sometimes see a calf fairly (not in agony) bloated the day before they come down with a round of scours.

[lbluck]

Primary ruminal bloat in a calf is uncommon. These bloated calves are usually attributed to on of three causes.
1. Abomasal ulsers are the holes describes in the 4th stomach or abomasum. These most often occur in the biggest best doing calves. They will 'bloat up' (usually most noticable lower on the right side) as opposed to the left side where the rumen is located. Death is very rapid once the ulser has perforated, often less than a couple of hours. The causes are poorly understood and blamed on a number of factors. Almost exclusively seen in calves while on cows when still on feed in the spring time and almost never in calves whin on grass. (the grass being more laxative and abundant) Causes are associated with cows on dry feed, calves drinking out of manure puddles in the spring, calves eating straw, hair balls, Clostridium perfringins infections, Abomasal ulcers seems to be associated with Clostridial immunity and an annual or bi-annual vaccination of the cow herd with a 7 or 8-way vaccination appears to reduce the incidence. Later calving (April and later) seems to reduce the incidence. (on to grass sooner as a rule)
2. Hair balls is an accumulation of a foreign body in the abomasum. If the foreign body becomes large enough, when passed (or attempted to pass) it becomes lodged in the pylorus or exit of the abomasum to the intestines. This blockage causes acute pain and rapid buildup of fluid and gasses in the abomasum. The 'bloating' with hair balls is not unlike an abomasal ulser, low on the left side.
3. Clostridium perfringens is a common disease of sheep and lambs. It infects the lining of the abomasum resulting in reddish discoloration and fluid accumulation in the tissues of the abomasal lining. "
'Bloating is not always noticable.
4. Torsion of the Abomasum (or intestines) may show similar signs and death will occur rapidly.