Content
Cattle asphyxia most often occurs at calving. Calves die at birth. In the case of an adult cattle, this is either an accident or a complication from an illness.
What is asphyxia
This is the scientific name for strangulation. But the concept of "asphyxiation" is broader than what is usually meant by asphyxiation. Asphyxia also occurs when drowning.
In both cases, oxygen ceases to enter the body, and gas exchange in the tissues is disrupted. Gas exchange during asphyxiation is disturbed in both directions: oxygen does not enter the blood, and carbon dioxide is not removed.
Asphyxia leads to disturbances in the work of the central nervous system and tissue metabolism. Poisonous substances are formed in the blood.
In general, asphyxia is any process in which gas exchange in the body is disrupted. In cattle, it can occur even after eating some feed. Asphyxia occurs in cattle and in diseases. Even ordinary shortness of breath due to poor work of the heart is also asphyxia. In a very mild form.
But both animals must belong to the same species.
Causes of asphyxia in newborn calves
The phenomenon of asphyxia in newborn calves is called "stillbirth". The fetus suffocates while still in the womb. This phenomenon occurs if the cub has inhaled amniotic fluid instead of air, or the umbilical cord has been clamped for a long time.
Most often, the umbilical cord is pinched in the breech presentation of the fetus. At birth, the calf goes forward with its hind legs, and the umbilical cord is clamped between its trunk and the bones of the maternal pelvis. At the moment of birth, all living things, not only cattle, have exclusively innate reflexes. A cessation of the supply of oxygen to the baby through the umbilical cord indicates that the baby's head has already come out. Reflexes "say" that it's time to breathe. The unborn calf takes a reflexive breath and chokes with amniotic fluid.
When the fetus is positioned head first, this does not happen. By the time the cow's pelvic bones clamp the umbilical cord, the baby's head is already outside.
Determining the position of the fetus
When the fruit membrane appears from the vulva, they look where the soles of the hooves are directed. If the soles "look" down, the presentation is correct and you don't have to worry. If the soles are pointing up, the fetus may suffocate, as the hind legs go forward.
On rare occasions, a calf may be born "supine" in the womb. To make sure that it is the soles of the hind legs that "look" upwards, after the shell rupture, the hock joint is groped.
In cattle, as in horses, childbirth is often dangerous due to too long legs of the cubs. Other "postures" can also affect the appearance of asphyxia:
- front legs bent at the wrists;
- head thrown over back;
- head turned to one side;
- hind legs bent at the hocks.
With all these positions, the likelihood of asphyxia in cattle is even higher than with a correct breech presentation.
Multiplicity
Twins in cattle are an undesirable phenomenon, but they happen quite often. Even with a successful hotel, the second calf can suffocate in the womb and be born already lifeless. Since here the time interval between asphyxia and birth is quite small, the calf can be pumped out.
It is much worse if the second calf suffocated due to crowding a few hours before the start of labor.The mechanism of asphyxia is the same as with incorrect presentation: in tightness, the umbilical cord is pinched. The second calf can also pinch it. In this case, the stillborn fetus will have white corneas of the eyes, indicating long-term death.
Causes of asphyxiation of adult animals
Adult cattle and grown-up calves have much more ways to "strangle themselves". Practice shows that cattle of all ages:
- "Hangs up" on a leash;
- drowns in bodies of water;
- chokes on root crops;
- poisoned with poisons that prevent blood oxidation;
- suffocates due to various diseases.
Self-hanging among animals is not as rare as the owners would like it to be. Most often this happens with horses, as the most fearful animals, but cattle are not far behind. Tying cattle by the neck is the most dangerous. If the animal begins to thrash on the leash, the noose can tighten and suffocate it. Sometimes they "hang", being tied next to steep slopes.
Cattle swim relatively well, but usually drown if the bottom near the shore is viscous. Or in a swamp.
Cattle have no upper teeth. They cannot bite off pieces. The cattle tears the grass off with its tongue, and grasps root crops, zucchini, apples and other similar juicy food entirely and chews it with molars. The first time the cattle does not try to chew well, and a large piece can get stuck in the throat. More often because of this, cattle have a blockage of the esophagus, which turns into tympanum. But sometimes a large piece compresses the trachea, blocking the path of air.
Asphyxia in cattle can also occur when the probe is pushed along the esophagus to eliminate tympania. Sometimes the probe enters the airways.
In case of poisoning, asphyxia occurs if the poisons were from the cyanide group. Most often, livestock is poisoned with pesticide-treated grass. But in ruminants, including cattle, poisoning can occur when eating forage grasses:
- Sudanese women;
- sorghum;
- wiki.
The glucosides contained in these types of grasses in the stomach of cattle sometimes break down to form hydrocyanic acid.
Asphyxia of this type often occurs during a fire.
In some diseases, cattle can die from asphyxia:
- pulmonary edema;
- bilateral pneumonia;
- infectious diseases, affecting the brain or causing soft tissue edema.
There will be no asphyxia if you start treating diseases in time.
Clinical signs
With the provided cattle during the first aid, the consequences of asphyxia are not observed. In the case of severe disease and prolonged stay without oxygen, the brain may be affected.
Asphyxia can be external and internal. External asphyxia almost always proceeds in an acute form:
- short-term breath holding;
- attempts to inhale are intensified;
- increased expiratory movements;
- complete cessation of breathing due to brain damage;
- the emergence of new rare attempts to breathe;
- final cessation of breathing.
With asphyxiation, less noticeable processes occur, which are detected only with special observation. The work of the heart muscle first slows down, and blood pressure drops. Then the pressure rises, the capillaries and veins overflow with blood. The heart beats faster, and the pressure drops again.
Usually, the heart still works for a long time after the cessation of breathing. Sometimes it can beat for another half hour.
When breathing stops, muscle weakness appears. The sphincters relax, urination and defecation occur. Males also ejaculate. Asphyxia is always accompanied by convulsions.
With internal asphyxia, the dysfunction of the brain can occur gradually, and the signs of suffocation will be less noticeable. Although, in general, they coincide with the acute form.
Signs of asphyxia in calves
The main signs of asphyxia in newborn calves occur in the womb. Man sees only the consequences. If the calf suffocates just before birth, it can still be saved. But one must be able to determine when there is no point in wasting time. Signs of the initial stage of asphyxia:
- swelling of soft tissues on the head;
- the tongue is blue, falls out of the mouth;
- the mucous membranes in the mouth are swollen, blue or pale;
- when bending the legs, reflex sensitivity is observed.
Until the initial form of asphyxia in the calf has passed into the next stage, first aid can be given to it with the help of artificial respiration. If a limp sagging body with white corneas of the eyes and porcelain-colored mucous membranes is removed from the cow, the corpse is thrown away.
First aid
If cattle asphyxiation occurs as a result of a disease, it is too late to provide first aid. The disease had to be treated immediately.
When self-hanging, first aid consists of cutting the rope around the neck. The animal will either catch its breath or not. But a person is not able to do anything else because of the size of the cattle.
Only newborn calves can be helped, and even then not always. There are two ways to pump out a choked calf.
First option
This path will require 3 people. The survival of the newborn calf depends on the heart. If the heart muscle stops, it will only be possible to ascertain the death. The work of the heart is monitored by the pulse of the femoral artery.
These numbers are guided by artificial respiration.
The calf is placed on its back on an inclined surface. The head should be below the pelvis. The first person takes the front legs by the wrist joints and spreads and reduces the limbs of the newborn with a breathing rate. The second rescuer puts his thumbs under the ribs and, in sync with the first, raises the ribs when spreading the legs to the sides and lowers them when bringing the limbs together. The third pulls out the tongue of the suffocated calf during "inhalation" and releases during "exhalation".
This method is suitable for resuscitation of a calf on a farm with a lot of staff. But for a private trader who has a couple of cattle, and he serves them himself, this method is not very suitable. Private owners are using the old method of resuscitation.
Second option
In a newborn, mucus and fluid are removed from the mouth and respiratory tract. This is usually done with quite live cubs.
If fluid has only entered the top of the trachea, it is sufficient to lift the calf and wipe off the flowing water. In a more severe case, the newborn baby is suspended for several minutes, since with deep penetration of amniotic fluid into the respiratory tract, it is difficult to hold a heavy body in the hands.
After removing the liquid, the baby's body is vigorously rubbed with a straw tourniquet or burlap for 10-15 minutes. After that, sodium bicarbonate solution of 4% is injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly. Dose: 4 ml / kg.
Deliberately strangling the cow to make it stand still during veterinary manipulation:
Conclusion
Asphyxia in cattle without human help inevitably leads to the death of the animal. It itself cannot be saved.
