What makes cattle bloat

Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. With the recent warm days and the greening of pastures, cattle producers will need to start thinking about the prevention of bloat.

Production of gas primarily carbon dioxide and methane is a normal result of rumen fermentation. Bloat can occur on any lush forage that is low in fiber and highly digestible, but is most common on immature legume clover and alfalfa pastures. Bloat can occur after as little as 15 minutes to 1 hour after they are turned out to a bloat-producing pasture.

However, there is often a lag of 24 to 48 hours before bloating occurs in cattle that have been placed on a bloat-producing pasture for the first time. Often the animal bloats only mildly and stops eating; therefore, the discomfort is eventually relieved. If the condition continues death is likely caused by suffocation, when the swollen rumen pushes against the diaphragm and prevents inhalation.

Bloating usually occurs when hungry cattle are first turned onto legume pastures. NADIS hopes that you have found the information in the article useful.

Now test your knowledge by enrolling and trying the quiz. You will receive an animal health certificate for this subject if you attain the required standard. Download PDF. Accredited by:. However, if VFA production is too rapid, rumen pH and rumen motility can decrease, leading to acidosis and bloat.

Consider managing the amount of feed offered and possible programmed intake strategies to prevent binge eating events by animals. Starch fermentation from grains is more rapid for smaller grains oats, barely, rye and from finely processed grains. Make sure to provide enough roughage or fiber in the diet.

Also allow adequate time for cattle to adapt to consuming high-grain diets. Increase the amount of grain within the diet slowly over the course of a couple weeks and refrain from making large changes in the amount of feed offered. Additionally, the inclusion of ionophores, such as Rumensin and Bovatec, in the diet have been shown to decrease the incidence of bloat. Grazing alfalfa, red clover, white clover, sweet clover, and winter wheat have a greater chance of causing frothy bloat.

Additionally, bloat is more common when these previously mentioned forages are consumed at earlier growth stages. Therefore, consider appropriate forages for pasture mixes and grazing management practices to avoid pasture bloat.

In summary, there are two types of bloat, free-gas bloat and frothy bloat, that cause the build of gas within the rumen and can ultimately lead to death by asphyxiation. Sometimes subtle or unnoticeable changes in cattle feed intake, feed management, grain processing, pasture growth, and weather changes can cause bloat to occur. Remember to keep a careful watch for signs of bloated animals and be prepared to treat bloated animals quickly when bloat occurs. This article was published by Michigan State University Extension.

The bloat line is caused by the excessive build-up of pressure in the thoracic cavity chest cavity , pushing blood out of the oesophagus. The oesophagus in the neck becomes engorged with blood which can't "push" into the chest cavity. The line observed is at the junction of the lower neck and thorax. This lesion is a highly reliable diagnostic sign of bloat.

In the event that a farmer finds cattle still alive but in obvious distress with an extremely "bloated" abdomen as noted in photo 1, the abdomen can be stabbed over the left side of the animal with a large bore needle 14 gauge, 2 inch long - milk fever bag needle , narrow sharp knife or trocar to release the gas. The hole doesn't need to be massive - just sufficient to release the gas and allow the animal to breathe. If the stab hole is too big veterinary attention will be required to repair the wound.

In less severe cases of bloat, the herd of cattle can be moved off the "offending" pasture until they are able to belch out the excess gas. In these cases bloat oil can also be given to the animals affected. Bloat oil contains "anti-foaming" agents which help in the recovery. Pastures containing significant levels of clover are the highest risk. On dairy farms this is likely to be a fast growing mixture of ryegrass and clover. In the spring this is a pasture type with a high feed value that will help improve milk production.

This is a high value feed that promotes rapid weight gain in fast growing young animals. I have also seen bloat in cattle being grazed on brassica crops same plant family as cabbages! Photo 3. This is a pasture mix often seen on beef properties.