How to Stimulate Rumination in Cattle? Introduction to Practical Methods

Cattle need to ruminate in order to digest and absorb food well, and farmers raising cattle will inevitably encounter the problem of cattle not ruminating. What methods are there to stimulate rumination in cattle?

1. Causes of cattle not ruminating

1. Rumen impaction

There are many causes, for example, suddenly or over a long period consuming a large amount of poor-quality, hard, difficult-to-digest feed, especially vine plants with high crude fiber content that are half-dry and half-wet (sweet potato vines, peanut vines, etc.), which after entering the rumen become tangled into balls and remain in the rumen, thereby causing rumen impaction; cattle overeating or stealing a large amount of highly palatable concentrate or tender forage, which often occurs during the transition from less palatable feed to more palatable feed when feeding is uncontrolled, or when cattle are fed after hunger or steal and eat too much concentrate; concentrate ground too finely (especially bran), which is not conducive to rumination and downward passage; after consuming a large amount of concentrate, cattle drinking excessive cold water or ice water, feed containing a lot of mud and sand, or cattle suddenly being frightened after eating can also promote the occurrence of this disease.

This disease is mostly seen in winter and spring, and is more common in old, weak, and barn-fed cattle. Usually cattle develop the disease 5-6 hours after eating their fill, and will have symptoms such as complete loss of appetite, cessation of rumination, empty chewing and drooling, increased belching, mild abdominal pain, restlessness, teeth grinding and groaning, looking back at the abdomen, kicking the abdomen with the hind limbs, uneasiness when standing or lying down, delayed defecation, dry hard or thin foul-smelling feces, and a dry muzzle.

2. Ruminal bloat

Ruminal bloat is caused by feed remaining in the rumen and undergoing abnormal fermentation to produce gas. It is caused by cattle consuming a large amount of easily fermentable tender forage (especially legume forage), or consuming a large amount of concentrate that is difficult to digest and easily causes bloat (especially protein feeds such as soybean meal and soybean cake), or consuming frostbitten, spoiled and deteriorated feed as well as toxic plants, or by digestive tract obstruction or slowed rumen motility causing impaired belching.

Affected cattle mostly develop the disease suddenly shortly after eating, and will have rapid abdominal distension, restless abdominal pain, depression, complete loss of appetite and rumination, and in severe cases there will also be manifestations such as opening the mouth and drooling, sticking out the tongue and crying out, protruding eyeballs, unsteady standing, whole-body sweating, and falling to the ground and dying.

3. Fore-stomach atony

There are many causes, for example, poor feeding management, cattle going hungry one meal and eating their fill the next, insufficient or excessive drinking water, long-term feeding of difficult-to-digest forage, overly fine concentrate, and moldy feed, etc., causing reduced digestive function; draft cattle being used for heavy work over a long period, or being fed immediately after work without rest, or being put to work immediately after feeding; poor body condition and lack of nutrition in cattle, especially deficiency of vitamins and minerals, which can lead to decreased fore-stomach motility; other causes, getting rained on, drinking cold water, traumatic reticuloperitonitis, or some other digestive tract diseases and chronic wasting diseases.

After cattle develop the disease, there will be reduced appetite, weakened rumination (generally not complete cessation), and sometimes abnormal appetite, for example liking coarse feed and not liking concentrate, while some cattle only like concentrate and do not like coarse feed, intermittent ruminal bloat, dry muzzle, depression, sunken eye sockets, weakness of the limbs, malnutrition, alternating constipation or diarrhea, and if it drags on for a long time the animal may die from nutritional exhaustion.

2. What methods are there to stimulate rumination in cattle

1. For cattle suffering from rumen impaction, feeding should be prohibited, but drinking water should be supplied normally. In mild cases, they can generally return to normal after fasting for 24-48 hours, at which point a small amount of high-quality, easily digestible green hay can be fed, and then the feeding amount can be gradually increased.

In severe cases, magnesium sulfate, sodium sulfate, artificial salt, and artificial paraffin oil, etc., need to be administered by drenching for digestion-promoting and laxative effects. As long as the rumen contents are expelled, the cattle will return to normal. Edible oil should be used with caution, otherwise it will increase the gastrointestinal burden on the cattle. When drenching drugs cannot promote digestion and laxation, gastric lavage should be considered (preferably with a professional veterinarian).

After the cattle return to normal, feeding management must be strengthened. Do not feed difficult-to-digest forage or too much concentrate, and at the same time some stomachic drugs can be fed to enhance the digestive function of the cattle.

2. For ruminal bloat, the treatment plan for rumen impaction can basically be followed, but the bloating problem must be solved first.

For mild bloating, 200 milliliters of alcohol, 30 grams of ichthammol, and 500 milliliters of warm water can be mixed evenly and administered in one drench to stop fermentation; for severe bloating, rumen puncture deflation or stomach tube deflation can be performed (preferably with a professional veterinarian). Rumen deflation means using a puncture deflation needle or a large needle to puncture at the left flank of the cow for slow deflation. Remember that before deflation, attention must be paid to disinfection and deflation must not be too fast. Stomach tube deflation means using a tube inserted from the cow's nostril or mouth into the rumen for deflation, and deflation likewise must not be too fast.

3. For cattle suffering from fore-stomach atony, regulation should be the main approach, feeding some soft and easily digestible forage, not allowing them to drink cold water or ice water, doing a good job in barn sanitation, disinfection, and temperature regulation, and feeding some traditional Chinese medicines for strengthening the stomach and replenishing qi. When necessary, gastric lavage and rumen magnet removal need to be performed on the cattle in order to eliminate various potential causes that can lead to fore-stomach atony.

If difficult and complicated cases are encountered that cannot be solved, it is still best to call a professional veterinarian.