Pasture Bloat?

[Quinton]

I'm pretty new to cattle and I have a question: My father and I are raising some Jersey Bull Calves we got from a dairy. The other night after bottle feeding them we heard some bawling from the barn.Went out there and found a calf with a seriously swollen abdoman and it died within 5 minutes. Is this pasture bloat, even thought he was bottle fed?

 

[Texas PaPaw]

Quinton

Welcome to the boards

Sorry to hear about your loss. If it occurred fairly quickly, it probably was bloat. Bloat can happen from both feed & pasture. This has been discussed several times previously. These posts will likely answer most of your questions. Would suggest you click on the Search button at the top of the page and do a search for "bloat". If, after reviewing these posts, you have unanswered questions, please feel free to post them.

Good luck & happy trails

Brock

 

[shorthorn cowgirl]

If bloat ever does happen we always pump just less than a gallon of pure vegie oal and it will be gone in the morin. Just make sure u dont get to much oil.

 

[fojokin]

If bloat ever does happen we always pump just less than a gallon of pure vegie oal and it will be gone in the morin. Just make sure u dont get to much oil.

Have you all ever done the teknique where you take a needle and try to pop the bloat under the skin? Iv read that in a ranching book and have heard vets talk about it I just wondered how easy it was to do it.

 

[Farmhand]

Never heard of bloat being under the skin.

 

[AngusLimoX]

If bloat ever does happen we always pump just less than a gallon of pure vegie oal and it will be gone in the morin. Just make sure u dont get to much oil.

Have you all ever done the teknique where you take a needle and try to pop the bloat under the skin? Iv read that in a ranching book and have heard vets talk about it I just wondered how easy it was to do it.

I hear a pint of oil is enough, probably depends on size of animal somewhat.

Puncturing the rumen with a "trocar and cannula" is explained in one of my vet books as a last ditch effort to save the animals life. Once you poke into the rumen the gas escapes through a hollow tube. You have to know where to place the instrument and chances of infection are elevated at the incision site.

I don't worry about bloat, once they hit pasture it is shooting out their rears too fast to cause trouble inside! :shock:

 

[BlackBaldyMan]

If bloat ever does happen we always pump just less than a gallon of pure vegie oal and it will be gone in the morin. Just make sure u dont get to much oil.

Have you all ever done the teknique where you take a needle and try to pop the bloat under the skin? Iv read that in a ranching book and have heard vets talk about it I just wondered how easy it was to do it.

I see that as a final defense, we allways pull them off the pasture and put a hose down them into the rumen, hopefully you catch it so it doesnt move onto other parts of the stomach, but if the animal is close to death we will take a long knife and just stab it as a last minute action.

 

[PaMike]

I know a lot of people who use the needle trick to relieve bloating. What I do is take a needle and put it on the syringe, then pull the plunger out of the syringe. Feel the animal and find the bloated spot. Stick him with the needle, then hold your breath cause it stinks. I have had them where you really hear the air coming out of the syring, and it will take 10 sec or so till it all comes out. After the air is out you can feel the area and it wont feel as spongy. It works for me....

 

[Farmhand]

It's really not that hard to do once you've seen it done. Just remember it's the left side behind the last rib. First time we had the vet. Now we do ourselves. Vet left us some very large needles to use. Have been in situation where we just had a pocket knife. Always spray the area with iodine afterwards. Haven't had an infected site yet.