Intas Polivet (2011) Vol.

12 (II): 322-324 Short Communication

Acute Bloat in a Goat and its Surgical

management by Rumenotomy
Jayakrushna Das1, Sidhartha Sankar Behera2,
and Soumyaranjan Pati2
Department of Surgery and Radiology
College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry
Orissa University of Agricultural and Technology
Bhubaneswar-751003 (Orissa)

ABSTRACT
Bloat/Tympanitis (accumulation of gas in the rumen) is an emergency condition of ruminants. It is mostly seen in
cattle and buffaloes but less in sheep and goat. It occurs due to carbohydrate engorgement/stale food/boiled rice
with sugar, non-feed materials and so on. In the city/town areas people are leaving their animals on roads during
day time as semi free range system. During roaming on the road the animals use to engulf many non feed
materials like gunny bag, plastic rope, polythene, metallic foreign bodies etc. In the long run due to metabolic
derangement the animals use to suffer from some of the emergency conditions like tympany/bloat. In 70% of this
condition the problem can be ruled out by medicinal therapies like anti-bloat agents with supportive therapies. But
in rest it requires emergency evacuation of ruminal gas and expulsion of ruminal contents by performing
rumenotomy. But in this case due post-operative therapies along with care and management should be taken for
faster recovery.
KEYWORDS: Bloat; emergency; goat; rumenotomy; tympany.

Introduction History and Diagnosis

Normally the animals get rid of gases produced
in the rumen by eructation. Bloat (accumulation
of gas) can therefore occur when the gas is
produced too rapid rate rather than can be eructed
or where the eructation mechanism is faulty
(Sastry, 1983). Bloat is one of the major problems
of the gastrointestinal tract in buffaloes and cattle
but less in sheep and goat. In India the incidence
of bloat is higher in buffalo as compared to that of
cattle and more in cattle as compared to sheep
and goat. This bloat may be acute or chronic. But
in both the instances the accumulation of free
gases occurs on the dorsal part of rumen or gas
are dispersed through the rumen content to cause
frothy bloat (Tyagi and Singh, 1995). Rumen
impaction due to plastic resin, leather and clothes
are referred as non-penetrating foreign body
syndrome (Raiderg, 2010). Regarding the
correction from these problems rumenotomy is
indicated in impaction of rumen; hairballs or other
foreign body therein or in the reticulum (O’Connor,
1985).
1. Assistant Professor, Dept. of Surgery and Radiology
2. M.V.Sc Scholar
An indigenous doe of about 5 years age weighing
14 kg body weight was presented with the
complain of distended abdomen with gasping,
respiratory distress and unable to walk. The animal
used to rear in roadside market and after
developed inappetance and deprive appetite.
The animal was reported and treated locally with
stomachics, antibloat powder, treacle, suspen-
sions, sodium bicarbonate, liver stimulant and
Vit.B complex injection, but the condition did not
subsided.On the day of presentation, acute
distension of abdomen since morning, dull unable
to walk and respiratory distress. By examining the
patient and since there was no time for examining
other parameters for study, it was diagnosed as a
case of acute bloat by taking this type of indigested
gas forming and non-feed materials. So it was
decided for doing emergency rumenotomy.
Treatment
The animal was not in a condition to permit for
operation in standing condition. So it was
performed in recumbent position (Frank, 2002).
At the time of operation it was not in a condition to
admister GA. So it was done with local anesthesia
and manual restraint. Since the sheep and goat

322
 Das et al.
are highly succeptible to the toxic effects of
Lidocaine, so a volume of diluted (1%) lidocaine
was used (Fubini and Duchame, 2004). At least 6
techniques are there in doing anesthesia of
Preparation for rumenotomy after local anaesthesia
Exposed rumen part after rumenotomy
Complete closure of rumen wall
Closure of skin by nylon suture
paralumar fossa and abdominal wall i.e (a)
infiltration (b) proximal paravertebral thora-
columar (c) distal paravertebral thoracolumar (d)
segmental dorsolumbar epidural (e) continuous
lumbar segmental epidural and (f) thoracolumbar
subarachnoid anesthesia (Tranquilli et al., 2007).
323
So inverted - L block under (a) infiltration was
given with 5 ml of lidocaine (2%) with 5 ml of
distilled water. One inch away from the transverse
process of lumbar vertebrae in the mid paralumbar
Entangled plastics and gunny bag in ruminal content
Closure of rumen wall by Cushing suture
Applying Continuous suture to close muscle layer
Recovery of animal after rumenotomy
fossa 3 inches long vertical incision was given to
the skin and abdominal muscle. Peritoneum was
incised and then the rumen. Rumen wall was fixed
to the Mc Lintock’s rumenotomy set
(Venugopalan, 2004) with the hooks. From the
rumen the content were removed along with
 Acute Bloat in Goat
plastic gunny bag, polythene, plastic rope, paddy,
boiled rice and other ingredient keeping in a
polythene bag and weighted 4 kg. After removing
the contents from the rumen outward feedstuffs
containing chaffed grass and concentrate
weighing 1kg has kept inside the rumen. The
incised walls were cleaned with NSS solution and
the rumen wall was closed. Regarding closer of
rumen by any pattern under inverted suture can
be applied. It is usual to suture the rumen by
lembert‘s method (O’Connon, 1985). But for
easier and fast suturing Cushing pattern was
applied. Peritoneum and muscle were closed by
continuous suture and skin as mattress suture.
Intravenous infusion of fluid therapy along with
nervine tonic, antibiotic (Intacefa), analgesic and
anti-inflammatory (Melonexa) injection was given
and advice the owner to follow the same for 7
days.
Result and Discussion
On 8th day of post operation the sutures were
removed. Since the goat was administered with
post operative therapies along with appetizer and
rumenotoric as electuries, so no marked
complication were observed apart from 1-2 days
of inappetance. The animal recovered well on 10th
post operative treatment and behaves normally.
The goat reared in urbanized area are forgetting
about the browsing habit and being accustomed
with taking feed as other animals due to shortage
of bushes, fences and feeding trees. The people
are also left loose the animal and keeping as half
free range animal. So they use to search for food
at non feeding places also. Out of hunger they
use to take whatever encountered on the way
a - Brand of Intas Animal Health, Ahmedabad
33rd Annual Association of Avian Veterinarians Conference
11-15th August, 2012
Louisville Marriott , Louisville Kentucky
For details log on to http://www.conferenceoffice.com/aav
324
irrespective of ropes, gunny bag, plastics,
polythene bags and so on. In the long run they
become habituated but due to deranged
metabolism at times they use to suffer from some
conditions like traumatic reticulitis, traumatic
reticulo peritonititis, rumen fistula, bloat, tympany,
foreign body syndrome, obstructions so on. In
order to get rid of these acute emergent conditions
the goat should be reared in farming condition
providing sufficient natural feedstuff as per their
habitat.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that the gastrointestinal
foreign body syndrome causing acute tympany,
bloat is an emergency condition and requires a
prompt emergency surgical approach with good
supportive care and management.
References
Frank, E.R. (2002). Veterinary Surgery, CBS Publishers
and Distributors, New Delhi.
Fubini, S.L. and Ducharme, N.G (2004). Farm Animal
Surgery, Saunders. Missouri, p.522
O’Connor, J.J. (1985). Dollar’s Veterinary Surgery, 4th
Edn., CBS Publishers and Distributors, New Delhi.
Raidurg, R. (2010). Rumen impaction in a Six Month
Pregnant Cow and its Surgical Management. Intas
Polivet 11: 194-95.
Sastry GA (1983) Veterinary Pathology, 6th edition, CBS
Publishing and Distributor, Delhi: p. 341-47.
Tranquilli, W.J., Thurmon, J.C., Grimm, K.A. (2007).
Lumb and Jones' Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia,
Blackwell Publishing, Lowa (USA).
Tyagi, R.P.S and Singh Jit (1993). Ruminant Surgery,
CBS Publishers and Distributors, New Delhi.