Veterinary Clinical Medicine-I (General and Systemic)

INDIGESTION IN CALVES FED MILK REPLACERS

Ruminal drinkers

• Occurs in veal calf characterized by recurrent ruminal tympany, inappetence, unthriftiness, and clay like feces.
• After being placed on milk diet and fed with a bucket.

Cause

• Insufficient closure of reticular groove while drinking milk.
• Milk enter rumen decreasing the pH of rumen and increasing lactate concentration
• Clinical recovery occurs after retuning to normal feeding. eg weaning onto hay and concentrates.

Clinical signs

• Temperature, Heart rate, Respiratory rate normal.
• Unthrifty calf.
• Increase in size especially in the ventral half of the abdomen with fluid splashing sound on ballottment.
• Auscultation of LPF reveals fluid splashing sound when calf is drinking.
• Foul greyish white fluid siphoned off the rumen.
• Casein clot.
• Treated by inducing them to suck on the herdsman's fingers while they are being fed a small quantity of cows' whole milk or Milk replace.