This document summarizes several metabolic disorders that can occur in livestock, including pasture bloat, enterotoxemia, grass tetany, ketosis, night blindness, nitrate poisoning, liver abscesses, pregnancy disease in ewes, parturient paresis (milk fever), mastitis, displaced abomasum, hemorrhagic bowel syndrome, and laminitis. The causes, symptoms, and treatments are described briefly for each disorder. Metabolic disorders can be caused by genetic defects, toxins, nutrient deficiencies or excesses, and other factors like changes in diet or lush pastures. timely diagnosis and treatment are important to prevent illness and death in affected animals.

1. METABOLIC DISORDERS OF LIVESTOCK
Inborn errors of metabolism occur from a group of rare genetic disorders
Disorders caused by defects in the enzymes

2. PASTURE BLOAT
 • Cause
 – High legume
pastures produce
more foam
 • Heavy foam traps
gasses

3. ENTEROTOXEMIA
(OVER-EATING DISEASE)
• Cause
– Toxin produced by clostridium
perfringens
bacteria that grow when fed high energy
feeds
or lush pastures
• Symptoms
– Sudden death
– Can be prevented by vaccination

4. GRASS TETANY (GRASS STAGGERS)
• Cause
– Low blood Mg and in many
cases low blood Ca
– Cattle grazing on lush grass
pastures in latter
stages of gestation or early
lactation
• Symptoms
–
Nervousness, staggering, convulsi
ons, coma and
death

5. KETOSIS
• Cause
– CHO- low blood sugar
– High energy demand pulls down fat
reserves
rapidly
• Symptoms
– Loss of appetite, acetone (sweetish
chloroformlike
smell) odor from milk, urine and breath

6.  Night Blindness
 • Cause
 – Vitamin A deficiency
 • Symptoms
 • Roughened hair and
scaly skin with mild
deficiency
 • Prolonged deficiency
leads to poor vision in
dim
 light and eye ulceration
 Nitrate poisoning
 • Cause
 – Excessive levels of
nitrate plant material
 • Symptoms
 – Bluish coloration of
membranes, staggering,
 shortness of breath and
death

7. LIVER ABSCESSES
 • Cause
 – High concentrate
rations
 • Symptoms
 – Symptoms include
reduced feed intake
and gain
 – Can be prevented
with antibiotics
 Pregnancy disease of
ewes
 • Cause
 – Ewes carrying twins
or triplets in the last 6
 weeks of gestation
 – Insufficient CHO - low
blood sugar
 • Symptoms
 – Ketosis in sheep

8. PARTURIENT PARESIS
MILK FEVER, HYPOCALEMIA
• Cause
– Low blood Calcium
– Usually occurs within 72 hours following
parturition
– Ewes in the latter stages of gestation
• Symptoms
– Loss of
appetite, nervousness, collapse, head
turned back toward flank

9. NUTRITIONAL SECONDARY HYPER-
PARATHYROIDISM
It is nutritional/ metabolic disorder caused by
elevation of parathyroid hormone (PTH), usually
secondary to poor nutrition.
All meat or all grain diet is rich in P which is
responsible for this disorder.
Low calcium and Vitamin D and malabsorption
also cause hypocalcaemia.
Increased PTH causes bone resorption, & Ca,
thus, mobilized is transferred to extra-cellular
fluid.
Depletion of bone osteoid leads to deformities,
fractures and loss of structural support.

10. DISPLACED ABOMASUM
 .. Refers to repositioning of
abomasal
 compartment from the right ventral
 abdominal wall
 .. Twisting from this repositioning
slows or stops
 flow of digesta
 .. Gas buildup leads to bloat
appearance
 .. “Pinging” detected with
stethoscope by thumping the
 cow near the last rib and listening
on the left flank
 .. 85-90% left-sided
 .. Right-sided more complete
torsion
 .. 75% occur within 1st 14 days
postcalving
 .. Rare in heifers
 Abomasum = A
 Rumen = B
 C = Omasum
 Abomasum = A
 Rumen = B
 C = Omasum
 D = Liver

11.  Symptoms of DA
 􀂄 Dramatically decreased feed
intake
 􀂄 Drastic drop in milk production
 􀂄 Pain (stand with back arched)
 􀂄 Can diagnose by “thumping”
near last
 rib and listening along left flank
 Causes and Risk Factors
 􀂄 Space in abdominal cavity
 􀂄 Decreased feed intake
 􀂄 Sudden ration changes
 􀂄 􀂄 Hypocalcemia allows
stagnant gut and gas
 buildup in abomasum
 􀂄 High grain feeding (high VFA
production)
 prior to proper rumen papillae
development
 􀂄 Over 2/3 of cases are preceded
by a different
 metabolic disorder
 􀂄 Cows with high condition scores
at parturition
 are more prone to displacements

12. DISPLACED ABOMASUM
 􀂄 When abomasal attachments
stretch during
 pregnancy, this may increase risk
for
 developing a DA
 􀂄 Genetics of the animal may also
affect the
 predisposition to this disorder
 􀂄 Resting positions may affect
risk for DA
 􀂄 Resting on left side reduces risk
of LDA relative to
 resting on right side
 Non-surgical treatment
 􀂄 Removal of gas from
abomasum
 􀂄 Rolling cow over, taking on
rough trailer ride
 􀂄 Tethering of right hind leg
 􀂄 87% recovery rate
 Prevention
 􀂄 Prevent other metabolic diseases
 􀂄 Cows should be in proper body
condition at
 parturition
 􀂄 Cows fed to encourage maximal
intake
 􀂄 Prevent hypocalcemia
 􀂄 Encourage cows to lie on left side
 􀂄 Cows lie with hooves downhill
 􀂄 Stall/Barn design may affect
incidence

13. HEMORRHAGIC BOWEL SYNDROME(HBS)
 􀂄 Newly emerging, highly fatal intestinal
disease
 􀂄 Sudden, progressive & occasionally
massive hemorrhage into small
 intestine with formation of blood clots that
cause obstruction
 􀂄 Affected areas of intestine become
necrotic
 􀂄 Most commonly seen in adult cows
early in lactation
 􀂄 Cause of HBS is unknown
 􀂄 Maybe associated with Clostridium
perfringens type A
 􀂄 Treatment is difficult and often
unsuccessful
 􀂄 Medical therapy:
fluids, laxatives, antibiotics and anti-
inflammatory
 drugs
 􀂄 Surgical excision of affected bowel
 􀂄 There is no current control measures;
unsure of pathogenesis of
 disease

14. MILK FEVER
 􀂄 Hypocalcemia
 􀂄 Ca mobilization unable to keep
up with demand
 􀂄 Calcium moves from blood to
mammary gland
 􀂄 􀂄 Requires increased
absorption of calcium from feed
 􀂄 Requires increased resorption
of calcium from bone
 􀂄 Associated with blood changes
 􀂄 Hypophosphatemia
 􀂄 Hypermagnesemia
 􀂄 Hyperglycemia
 􀂄 Most cases in first 24 hours
post-calving
 􀂄 Higher frequency in older cows
 􀂄 Higher frequency in Jerseys
 Symptoms
 .. No fever, ears and teats actually
become
 hypothermic
 .... Loss of appetite
 .. Feed remains in rumen, calcium is
essential for gut
 motility
 .. Pulse and respiration rate increase
 .. Milk fever is 100% fatal if untreated
 .. After treatment, secondary
problems may occur
 .. Degeneration of muscle, nerve
paralysis from laying too
 long
 .. Injuries from staggering and falling

15. MASTITIS
 Pathogens colonize mammary
gland
 􀂄 Spread by milking
machines, milkers & cow to
 cow
 􀂄 Streptococcus agalactiae
 􀂄 Streptococcus dysgalactiae
 􀂄 Staphylococcus aureus
 􀂄 Mycoplasma bovis
 Important to maintain sanitary
conditions
 Mastitis Signs and Symptoms
 􀂄 Acute mastitis
 􀂄 Udder is hot, very hard, and
tender
 􀂄 Increase in temperature,
refusal to eat, dull eyes,
 􀂄 Increase in blood proteins
and leukocytes in
 mammary tissue and milk
 􀂄 Blood vessels greatly dilated
 􀂄 Milk ducts compressed
 􀂄 Treatments more likely to be
unsuccessful under these
 conditions

16.  Mastitis
 􀂄 Sphincter open in high-
pathogen environment
 􀂄 Neutrophil function
compromised by low Ca
 􀂄 Increases risk of ketosis
 􀂄 Depression of feed intake is
long-term
 􀂄 Dystocia
 􀂄 Pre-calving hypocalcemia
 􀂄 No uterine contractions
 􀂄 Uterine prolapse
 Incomplete first milking
 .. Increased incidence of mastitis
 .. Preventative feeding strategies
 .. Limit calcium intake during dry
period
 .. Not practical
 .. Limit potassium intake in forages
fed to dry cows
 .. More important
 .. By increasing concentration of
anions in diet, it
 becomes acidogenic
 .. Decreases blood pH, much less
susceptible to milk fever
 .. Increases calcium resorption from
bone
 .. Reduces severity of hypocalcemia

17. FACTORS AFFECTING RISK OF
MASTITIS
 .. Majority of new infections
occur during:
 .. First three weeks of dry
period
 .. Milk left in udder
 .. First month after parturition
 .. Immune system
compromised
 .. Frequency of milking
affects risk of
 infection
 .. Pathogen load decreased
by evacuating
 milk more frequently

18. TREATMENT
 􀂄 Slow infusion of calcium
intravenously
 􀂄 Rapid delivery will cause heart
to stop
 􀂄 Some animals need second
treatment 8 hours after the
 first treatment
 􀂄 Some herds regularly use oral
calcium gels at
 calving to improve calcium status
 􀂄 Calcium chloride problematic
 􀂄 Calcium propionate preferred
 􀂄 Can be used as stand-alone
treatment, in conjunction with
 IV calcium, or as prevention
 Cows with milk fever will typically
tuck their head back
 against their flank (Courtesy of
University of IllCows with milk fever
will typically tuck their head back
 against their flank (Courtesy of
University of llinois)inois)

19. PREVENTION
 􀂄 Clean and dry
environment
 􀂄 Clean and dry teats at
milking
 􀂄 Teat dips (pre- and post-
milking)
 􀂄 Properly maintained
equipment
 􀂄 Early identification
 􀂄 Prompt treatment
 Teat dips are only
effective if adequate
coverage of all teats is
 accomplished (Courtesy
of Mark Kirkpa
Teat dips are only effective if
adequate coverage of all teats
is
accomplished (Courtesy of
Mark Kirkpatrick)

20. LAMINITIS
 .. Separation of epidermal laminae from
dermal laminae of hoof
 .. Causes in cattle include:
 .. Carbohydrate
overload, metritis, ketosis, mastitis and a
heritable form in
 Jerseys.
 .. Foot rot or hoof damage and secondary
infection can result in laminitis in cattle
 (Bacteroides nodosus, Fusobacterium
necrophorum )
 .. Typical Clinical Findings:
 .. Pain, lameness, abnormal
stance, reluctance to move
 .. Pounding digital pulses, increased
temperature of hoof wall
 .. Typical Gross Findings:
 .. Acute: Swelling of coronary band
 .. Chronic: Circumferential hoof
rings, altered hoof growth, flattened sole,
 penetration of third phalanx through
sole, depressed coronary band

21. FOUNDER (LAMINITIS)
 • Cause
 – Overeating
grain, digestive
disturbances, lush
 Pasture
 • Symptoms
 – Extreme
pain, reluctance to
move, excessive
 hoof/toe growth

22. THANKYOU FOR ATTENTION

23. PRESENTED BY:DR.IRFAN BHATTI
PRESENTED TO:DR.JAMIL AHMAD
CLASS :DVM(IST SEMMESTER)
DEPT.BZU,COLLEGE OF VERINARY
SCIENCES LAYYAH.
E.MAIL:BZUVETSCARECLUBLAYYAH@YAHO
O.COM