Weird Rumen Distention

[angus9259]

I have a 7 month old bull calf whose rumen distends up and down instead of side to side. He's been like this since he was a baby calf and started eating grass. It's a bad picture I realize but basically his belly always sags down and his top line is always bulged up - never straight. Rarely bulges side to side. None of his contemporaries are like this and, as I said, he's been like this since about 45-60 days old. Doesn't seem to matter what he's fed. Otherwise has always seemed healthy. Thoughts?

 

[angus9259]

I should add he wasn't a bottle baby that was raised improper. He was born and raised with/on his momma. Was my heaviest weaning calf. Never had a straight topline. Always bulging up.

 

[daneg]

Looks like he is bloated, maybe chronic.

 

[angus9259]

Looks like he is bloated, maybe chronic.

Looks like no other bloat I've ever seen - and I've seen some bloat - there's no distention side to side at all.

 

[SBMF 2015]

The hump back is throwing me. Other wise I'd say a hernia?

 

[faster horses]

We had that in a heifer calf that was stepped on as a baby. Took awhile to show up. We called her 'Hump Back'. We gave her to the fellow who was night calving for us and she bred, raised several calves for him. Not sure what you would do with a bull calf. I bet you could make him a steer and have some meat later on. Good luck!

 

[Silver]

Does he have cud?

 

[angus9259]

Does he have cud?

He seems to be chewing it . He goes to the hay feeder and feed trough with the rest of em just fine.

 

[Silver]

He seems to be chewing it . He goes to the hay feeder and feed trough with the rest of em just fine.

I was just wondering. I've seen the odd one lose their cud. They still seem to eat fine, but if you look past the big middle and high rumen they will be pinchy and malnourished. The rumen isn't functioning properly, usually because it didn't develop properly in its early days. Can't really tell in your photo what kind of condition the calf is in.

 

[GoWyo]

He is pinched in the heart girth and roaching up in the back. Structural issue. The fuller they get the more they roach up in the back. Lack of heart girth is the start of his problems. Just the way he's made.

 

[wbvs58]

My observation of cattle when they are a bit bloaty like when just moved onto a fresh high clover pasture they do get distended dorsally like you describe. I will walk behind them to look at how high the rumen is distended to assess whether they need to be moved.

Ken

 

[angus9259]

My observation of cattle when they are a bit bloaty like when just moved onto a fresh high clover pasture they do get distended dorsally like you describe. I will walk behind them to look at how high the rumen is distended to assess whether they need to be moved.

Ken

Problem is he's on dry hay and he's like this all the time. It doesn't come and go with the feed he's on.

 

[TexasRancher]

Baffling and embarrassing...i couldn't get him to the sale barn fast enough. It's just not normal and he looks to be in pain that would only get worse the older and heavier he gets. Hernias don't go upward...looks like the human version of scoliosis. That pic is hard to look at...devastating.

 

[wbvs58]

Problem is he's on dry hay and he's like this all the time. It doesn't come and go with the feed he's on.

Yes, I understand that Angus, just conveying my observations with the distension of the rumen, sorry, I can't help with your problem, some better photos would be interesting but it does sound like he has a problem there.

Ken