Haemorrhage in farm animals

HAEMORRHAGE IN FARM ANIMALS

Etiology - Primary excessive bleeding

  • Cattle
    • Pulmonary hemorrhage in caudal vena caval syndrome
    • Abomasal ulcer; some related to bovine viral leukoSis
    • Enzootic hematuria
    • Pyelonephritis
    • Ruptured middle uterine artery during uterine prolapse
    • Cardiac perforation, aorta, atrium rupture
    • Intraluminal bleeding due to intestinal ulcer, hematoma
    • Juvenile angiomata 
  • Horse
    • Nasal bleeding at rest from guttural pouch mycosis
    • Ethomoidal hematoma
    • Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage
    • Uterine artery rupture during foaling
    • Mesentric artery rupture secondary to verminous arteritis
    • Splenic hematoma, hemangioma, haemangiosarcoma
    • Ulceration varicose veins in dorsal vaginal wall
    • Congential venous aneurysm  
  • Pig
    • Esophagogastric ulcer
    • Proliferative hemorrhagic enteropathy
    • Congential umbilical bleeding
    • Secondary excessive bleeding;
    • Hemorrhagic disease  

Clinical findings

  • Visible blood loss in many cases
  • Blood in secretions or excretions may be visible only if complete clinical examination carried out
  • Mucosal pallor
  • Weak, staggery gait, recumbency
  • Tachycardia
  • Cold extremities
  • Respiration deep, not seriously dyspnetic
  • Dull, depressed
  • Coma, death in lateral recumbency
  • Localizing signs in hemothorax, hemopericardium, umbilical bleeding, pulmonary hemorrhage, abomasal ulcer 

Clinical pathology

  • Erythrocyte count, hematocrit, haemoglobin count, serum protein level depressed ; degree dependent on efficiency of compensatory back up; after 4 days evidence of regeneration
  • Paracentesis for identification of intracavity haemorrhage
  • Special rests in cases of suspected hemorrhagic disease  

Diagnosis

Treatment

  • Correction of cause of blood loss
  • If PCV less than 12% give blood transfusion (using 10 ml 0.85 sodium citrate solution per 100 ml of blood as anticoagulation); 10-15 ml/kg is adequate for survival; chances of an incompatibility reaction are very small unless transfusions repeated
  • If PCV>12 and less than 20% represents hypovolemia and fluid therapy (40-80ml/ kg of isotonic saline) advisable. Small volumes 3-5ml /kg hypertonic (7.2% sodium chloride) solutions also used
  • Frequent monitoring of blood parameters when PCV <20%
Last modified: Tuesday, 5 June 2012, 12:58 PM