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Subacute Rumenal Acidosis (view source)
Revision as of 09:00, 27 August 2010
, 09:00, 27 August 2010→Clinical Signs
===Clinical Signs===
===Clinical Signs===
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.
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.
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
* Rumlleni hypomotility and hypophagia. Individual cows