Internal clinical diagnosticsLectures for students, 6th semester

Examination of the digestive tract in swine and ruminants

Dr. Abonyi Tamás and Dr. Vörös Károly

Belgyógyászati Tanszék és Klinika

Examination of the digestive tract in swine

Peritonitis in swine

Gastric ulcer in swine

Zootrichobezoars from porcine stomach

Ascariosis, swine

Examination of the bovine digestive organsGeneral aspects

History

Process of eating and drinking, feeding and drinking probe

Bloat (tympany, meteorismus)

Defecation, amount of faeces

Macroscopic examination of faeces: quality, colour, smell,

undigested particles, foreign objects

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Posture:

kyphosis, arched back, forelegs held wide apart, the elbows turned out

Traumatic reticuloperitonitis

Examination of the oral cavitiy, pharynx and oesophagus

Examination of the oral cavity:

Mucous membranes: lesions, vesicles, ulcers with round

edges, ulcers with irregular edges, teeth, tongue (size,

mobility), cheeks

Swallowing: swallowing disorders

(disorders on the mucous membranes)

Chewing, rumination, eructation

• Outer examination of the pharynx and the salivary glands• Examination of the pharyngeal cavity• Oesophagus: its course, probing the oesophagus

Footh-and-mouth disease,cattle, tongue

(Soós, 1992)

goat

sheep

Footh-and-mouth disease (Soós, 1992)

Bovine virus diarrhoea

BVD and IBR infection, calf

Rupture of the tongue, cattle

Actinomycosis

Obturation of the oesophagus

Anatomical features of the bovine stomach

rumen + reticulum + omasum + abomasum = 80 % of the whole abdominal cavity

Young calf: Reticulum small, rumen = 1/2 of the abomasum10-12 weeks age: rumen = abomasum 2x4 months: rumen + reticulum = 4x omasum + abomasum18 months: full capacity 135 - 180 liters

Localisation of the forestomachs and

abomasum

Rumen: 80 %, on the left side of the abdomen

Reticulum: 50 % in the middle of the abdomen and to the left, within the 6-9. intercostal spaces, in the xyphoid region

Omasum: 7-8 % on the right side of the abdomen, within the 6 - 9. intercost. spaces

Abomasum: 8 % is in contact with the abdominal wall, situated on the ventral part of the abdomen

Examination of the rumen

Inspection: size, presence and grade of bloat (distension)

Palpation: ruminal contractions ( left flank ),

a bendőtartalom konzisztenciája

Percussion:normal finding: upper 1/3: mild tympanic

ventral 2/3: dullIn frothy bloat: gases are finely dispersed, within the rumen content, the percussion sound is moderately tympanic

Auscultation: continuous mild crackling sounds,

rumen motility: gurgling fluid and booming gassy sounds

Additional examinations:rumen fluid, rumenography, rumenotomy, rectal examination

Ruminal bloat in calves

Free-gas bloat Frothy bloat

Hoflund syndromeAnterior functional stenosis

(hypermotility form)

Rumen fluid: frothy, cream-likeA: Hoflund syndrome, B: physiol. finding

(++) rumen, distended left flank

Acute lactacidaemia

Examination of the reticulum

Reticular pain probes

Kalchschmidt probe (zone test) back grip pressure test (knee-elbow probe) pain percussion pole test

Differential diagnosis:

- rarely traumatic hepatitis- rarely traumatic splenitis- nephritis- pleuritisAdditional examinations:- Blood: blood count, biochemical examinations, glutaraldehyde test- Abdominocentesis, rumenotomy

Traumatic reticuloperitonitis:frightened glance, positive reticular pain probes

Back grip

Pain percussion

Knee-elbow probe

Pole test

Video

Results of abdominocentsis in peritonitis, cattle

Examination of the omasum

Physical examination: inspection, palpation and percussion

of the region yields limited information

Direxct inspecion and palpation:

during surgical intervention

(rumenotomy, laparotomy)

Topography of the bovine abdominal

organs(Gyarmati 1954)

Examination of the abomasum

Inspection and palpation of the region are of diagnostic value only in severe abomasal disorders

Abomasal dislocation:

right-sided: in 10 % of the cases (right-sided abomasal displacement, RDA)

left-sided: in 90 % of the cases (left-sided abomasal displacement, LDA)

Auscultation: spontaneous tinkling sounds

Auscultation with ballotement: splashing sounds

Auscultation with percussion: metallic sounds (steel band effect)

Grades of LDA

Clinical sign of LDA:Spontaneous tinkling sounds

Diagnosis of LDA

Auscultation with

ballotement

Diagnosis of LDA

Auscultation with

percussion

Abomasocentesis

Examination of the intestines

Amount and quality of the faeces Diarrhoea Decreased amount or lack of faeces

Paratuberculosis

Melaena,caused by abomasitis and

abomasal ulcer in cattle

Detection of fluid- and gas-filled organs on the right side of the bovine abdomen

Auscultation with ballotement,

auscultation with percussion

Development of DRA and abomasal torsion

RDA Abomasal torsion

RDAAuscultation with percussion

Caecal dislocation and torsion

Thank you for your attention.