Differential Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Diarrhea in Brood Cows and Yearlings

Abstract

This presentation should be titled "Diarrhea, a Symptom of Many Diseases.'' Diarrhea by definition is an abnormal frequency and liquidity of the feces. I feel that we are all guilty of making the mistake of confusing diseases and symptoms. The problem of diagnosing diseases characterized by diarrhea in cattle is more complicated than in other classes of animals because the forestomachs add another dimension to consider in determining the reason that a cow or a herd of cattle has diarrhea. Forestomach diseases as a primary cause of diarrhea will not be considered in great depth today because the topic has been well covered at previous meetings of the AABP and due to the time allowed to-day, we will concentrate on diagnostic problems that occur with diseases of the alimentary tract beyond the abomasum. Inflammations of the stomach are called gastritis and many veterinary texts use the term when describing inflammatory conditions of the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum. This paper will use the term gastritis to mean inflammation of the abomasum only.