Evolving Knowledge of Digestive Dysfunction

Abstract

Digestive dysfunction or indigestion has been a subject of great interest for every bovine practitioner since dairy husbandry has gained momentum. In the dairy cow most attention has been drawn towards the rumen since the outcome of the digestive processes in the rumen for a great part determine the productivity of the cow. Recently nutritionists have investigated feeding methods aimed at avoiding ruminal degradation, in order to cope with the enormous demand for glucose and proteins in a dairy cow producing more than 40 liters of milk per day. Under those nutritional regimes the outcome of the microbial fermentation however remains of great importance. Even small disturbances in the microbial digestion can have an immense impact on the production, and may, when occurring in the second half of the lactation period, ruin the total performance in that lactation period. It is therefore important to recognise and classify any indigestion as early as possible. The same is true for digestive disturbances in replacement stock. These animals have to experience an undisturbed growth during their first two years of life. Only in that case they are able to respond to the present tremendous demands for production. After a short introduction into the classification of the digestive disturbances in the ruminating bovine, this lecture will concentrate on disorders of throughput namely dysfunction of the reticular groove reflex and functional stenosis of the reticulo-omasal orifice and of the pyloric sphincter.