Changes

The nature of the faeces can give clues to the existance of SARA within a herd. Suboptimal rumen function means that some feed passes to the colon before digestion. Therefore, many animals in a group of cows with subacute rumenal acidosis will have a looser faecal consistency, due to osmotic diarrhoea caused by colonic fermentation of feed. In turn, the udder, tail and rump will have large amounts of faecal staining/ In some animals, the colonic pH falls to such a degree that the microflora are killed and no hind-gut fermentation occurs. This leads to firmer, sticky faeces that contain undigested sugars. There may be other abnormalities to faecal appearance, for example cows may excrete undigested grain. Fibrin casts, indicative of colonic mucosal damage induced by an excess of acid, may also be seen. A low rumen pH can lead to the production of acidic urine and faeces. Cows may therefore be seen to swish their tails in the absence of flies due to the irritation this causes. When tail-swishing occurs frequently, faecal staining of the rump can be seen, which may be an indicator of SARA in many herds.  

The nature of the faeces can give clues to the existance of SARA within a herd. Suboptimal rumen function means that some feed passes to the colon before digestion. Therefore, many animals in a group of cows with subacute rumenal acidosis will have a looser faecal consistency, due to osmotic diarrhoea caused by colonic fermentation of feed. In turn, the udder, tail and rump will have large amounts of faecal staining/ In some animals, the colonic pH falls to such a degree that the microflora are killed and no hind-gut fermentation occurs. This leads to firmer, sticky faeces that contain undigested sugars. There may be other abnormalities to faecal appearance, for example cows may excrete undigested grain. Fibrin casts, indicative of colonic mucosal damage induced by an excess of acid, may also be seen. A low rumen pH can lead to the production of acidic urine and faeces. Cows may therefore be seen to swish their tails in the absence of flies due to the irritation this causes. When tail-swishing occurs frequently, faecal staining of the rump can be seen, which may be an indicator of SARA in many herds.  

* Rumlleni hypomotility and hypophagia. Individual cows

Feeding behaviour can also be affected. Individual cows may show inappetance for 24-48h, with no other clinical signs and spontaneous resolution. Animals can also be seen to "drop the cud" while ruminating.

will be seen to be 'off their food' with no other clear

presentinr sig'ns. The condition usually resolxes spontaneously

reduction in appetite, accompanied by a tendency to

* Cows 'dropping the cud' while ruminatincy;

* Reduced feed efficiency (Krajcarski-Hunt and others

* Reduced feed efficiency (Krajcarski-Hunt and others

2002). This is caused by reduced rumeni digestive efficiency

2002). This is caused by reduced rumeni digestive efficiency

in the t'aeces. It is common in such situations for blame to be attributed to the feedstuff quality rather than

in the t'aeces. It is common in such situations for blame to be attributed to the feedstuff quality rather than

suboptimal rumen function;

suboptimal rumen function;

* Reduced milk yield (albeit this may not be recognised

* Reduced milk yield (albeit this may not be recognised

on farms where the problem is continuously present);

on farms where the problem is continuously present);