A New treatment for abomasal bloat in calves

Abstract

Abomasal bloat in calves can be a rapidly progressing, life-threatening disease. Gas must be removed from the tympanic abomasum as fast as possible to prevent the calf from choking. It is very difficult to reach the abomasum with a stomach tube and in most cases it is also not possible to remove all gas from the abomasum by a single puncture in the distended right flank. A report is given about a way of abomasal puncture that can remove all abomasal gas by one single puncture. The calf is turned upside down and a puncture is done with a 1.4x50 mm needle medial on the highest point of the distended abdominal wall just between the navel and xiphoid. Between 1985 and 1992, twenty of twenty one calves that were suffering from abomasal tympany could be healed, without further complications, by one single puncture. When the state of health is getting worse or when the calf is bloating again within 2 or 3 hours after the puncture, a diagnostic laparotomy must be done, in order to recognize and to treat a possibly twisted abomasum.