Ruminal Tympany (Bloat, Hoven)

• Normally, microbial fermentation continually generate a

prodigious volumes of gas in the rumen that is
eliminated by eructation or belching,.
• Anything that interferes with eructation will cause major
problems for a ruminant called ruminal tympany or,
simply, bloat.
• The disorder is perhaps most commonly seen in cattle,
but certainly is not uncommon in sheep and goats.
• Tympany is characterised clinically by:
 Elevated extended hunger fossa.
 Progressive Dyspnea and discomfort.
 Finally death due to respiratory failure.
 Bloat: Contributing Factors
1. Animal factors: It may be hereditary in
some spp.
2. Dietary factors.
 Substances in the plant material make
rumen fluid thicker and more viscous
 Grains (barley, wheat, soybeans)
 Particle size
 Rate of change
3. Microbial
 Bloat: Contributing Factors

3. Microbial
 Foaming agents (polysaccharides)
contained in rumen bacteria
 Fluctuations in rumen environment
(grain feeding) = ↑ cell rupture
 Substances released by bacteria make
rumen fluid thicker and more viscous
 Pathogenesis
• Bloat is the overdistension of the
rumen and reticulum with gases
derived from fermentation.
• Two types of bloat are observed,
corresponding to different
mechanisms which prevent normal
eructation of gas:
 .1Frothy bloat) )primary tympany
• In which gases are trapped in a stable,
persistent foam which is not readily
eructated.
• As quantities of this foam build up, the
rumen becomes progressively distended
and bloat occurs.
• Bloat on pasture is frequently associated
with "interrupted feeding" - animals that
are taken off pasture, then put back on, or
turned out on pasture for the first time in
the spring.
•
 Pathogenesis
• This type of bloat occurs most commonly in two settings:
• Pasture bloat :
 Occurs on pasture, those containing alfalfa or clover
that are rapidly digested in the rumen, results in a high
concentration of fine particles that trap gas bubbles.
 Additionally, some of the soluble proteins from such
plants may serve as foaming agents.
• Feedlot bloat
 Animals feed high levels of grain, especially when it is
finely ground results in rapid digestion and an
abundance of small particles appear to trap gas in
bubbles.
 Additionally, some spp. of bacteria that are abundant in
animals on high concentrate rations produce an insoluble
slime that promotes formation of a stable foam
(Free gas bloat (secondary tympany .2
• Occurs when the animal is unable to eructate
free gas in the rumen ??.
 Obstructive bloat: The conditions that partially
obstruct the esophagus )foreign bodies,
abscesses, tumors) or interfere with
rumenoreticular motility )i.e. reticular adhesions,
Vagus indigestion) clearly can be involved.
 Posture bloat: Another cause of free gas bloat
that in which a ruminant cannot eructate when
lying on its back, and if a cow falls into a ditch
and is unable to right itself, she will bloat rapidly.
Ruminants that are to undergo surgery in dorsal
recumbancy should be starved for 12 to 24
hours prior to surgery, to avoid posture bloat
during surgery.
 Pathogenesis
• Regardless of whether bloat is of the
frothy or free gas type, distention of the
rumen compresses thoracic and
abdominal organs.
• Blood flow in abdominal organs is
compromised, and pressure on the
diaphragm interferes with lung function.
• The cause of death is usually hypoxia due
to pulmonary failure.
 Diagnosis
• History: Bloat is an acute disease with a
short course, commonly manifest as
sudden death, in unoticed animals.
• Clinical signs: Diagnosis of bloat is
typically simple, and the clinical picture
largely reflects how long the condition has
existed.
• Palpation and percussion findings.
 :Clinical Signs include
• Abdominal distension onto the left side. As
distention continues, the entire abdomen
may become distended.
• Reluctance to move and cessation of feeding
• Signs of distress: anxiety and vocalization
• Respiratory distress: rapid breathing, neck
extended with protruding tongue.
• Staggering and recumbancy: once a animal
with bloat is recumbant, death occurs
rapidly.
• Although bloat is primarily an acute disorder,
chronic, recurrent forms are recognized in
calves.
Free gas Tympany
Frothy Tympany assoc. Vagus indigestion
Dwarf with Bloat
Tympany in goat
Frothy tympany in goat
Tympany in camel
 Post-mortem findings
• Obvious distension of the rumen is certainly observed in
animals that die of bloat, but also occurs rapidly after
death from almost any cause in ruminants, and is not a
useful diagnostic lesion.
• Animals that die from bloat is ch. by congestion and
hemorrhages in the cranial thorax, neck and head, and
compression of the lungs.
• Pressure from the distended rumen leads to congestion
and hemorrhage of the esophagus in the region of the
neck, while the esophagus in the thorax is pale.
• Bloat line :Demarcation between congestion and pallor
seen in the region of the thoracic inlet
• Usually, the liver is also pale because of displaced blood
and interruption of blood supply.
 Postmortem bloat

Bloat line
 Treatment and Control
• Bloat is a life threatening condition and must be
relieved with haste ‫باستعجال‬.
• For animals in severe distress, rumen gas should be
released immediately by emergency rumenotomy.
• Insertion of a large bore rumen trochar through the
left flank into rumen is sometimes advocated, it is
often complicated with peritonitis.
• In less severe cases, a large bore stomach tube
should be passed down into the rumen.
• Free gas will readily flow out the tube, although it
may need to be repositioned repeatedly to effectively
relieve the pressure.
• .
 Treatment and Control
• In the case of frothy bloat, antifoaming
medications can be delivered directly into the
rumen through the tube; with close observation
to insure that the treatment is effective and the
animal begins to belch gas, otherwise a
rumenotomy may be indicated
• Antifoaming agents to relieve frothy bloat
include:
 Vegetable oils )corn, peanut) or mineral oil,
which are administered in 100-300 ml volumes
to cattle.
 Effective commercial antifoam as polaxalene )a
surfactant) or alcohol ethoxylate )a detergent).
Trocer and canula
Frothy tympany

Frothy R. content
Trocerization of left flank in camel
 Control
• Control of bloat relies on management
coupled with medications,
• Also, some of the techniques advocated
may be applicable to small herds, but are
too labor intensive to use with large herds.
• Many of the techniques used are based
on reducing the rate of fermentation that
occurs in the rumen.
• Examples of control strategies include:
 Control
1. Maintain pastures that have grasses mixed with
legumes such as alfalfa
2. Feed animals hay before turning out on bloat-inducing
pastures
3. In feedlots, feed roughage such as straw or grass hay
in addition to concentrate
4. For animals on high grain rations, the grain should be
cracked or rolled rather than finely ground
5. Apply antifoaming agents prophylactically, either by
drenching individual animals, incorporating into feed,
or spraying on small pastures
 Bloat: Preventive Measures
• Ionophores: Antibiotics feed additive (e.g
monensin (Rumenson ®), lasalocid (Bovatec®),
and laidlomycin (Cattlyst)
• It alter the flow of cations across cell
membranes leading to reduction in G +ve
bacteria which cause the bloat and other
digestive problems associated with high
carbohydrate diets.
• Surfactants: mineral oil ↓ activity for
microbial bloat
• Nutritional management: longstemmed
grass hay, probiotics