Bloat of the pastures is a serious and unexpected condition of grazing cattle. Bloat is a form of indigestion characterized by excessive accumulation of gas in the rumen.
After cattle are fed, their digestive system creates gas in the rumen. Most of these gases are eliminated by burping and bloating occurs when the process is interrupted and they are not eliminated properly.
The gases that are trapped in the rumen press against the diaphragm and the animal is unable to breathe. Sometimes, bloat can cause a cow to drool excessively.
Vegetable oil for bloat in cattle
In minor cases that are not really serious or urgent, an effective treatment for frothy bloat in cattle is to use vegetable oil.
You can either mix the vegetable oil in the cattle’s water or inject it into the rumen. It helps disperse the Frothy and allow the gas to escape.
If bloat is a recurring issue for your cattle, you should give them Durvet Bloat Treatment. It costs less than $20 on amazon.
How much vegetable oil to give cattle for bloat?
Small droplets of gas inside the Frothy fuse into large bubbles that are eventually expelled. It is recommended to use 250 ml per cow (but it can vary).
Vegetable oil is not the only home remedy for this problem. You can use cottonseed oil, peanut oil, linseed oil, since they are also suitable for this task.
Bloating, whether frothy or from accumulation of free gas within the rumen, will always be a concern for cattle producers.
We hope this information about what you can do with vegetable oil is useful for you and helps you with this type of problem and keep your cattle in an excellent condition.
TYPES OF BLOAT IN CATTLE
There are different types of bloat, and most have one thing in common: Frothy. It’s quite common when cattle are on lush pastures or eating grain for profit. Gases trapped in the rumen press against the diaphragm and the animal cannot breathe.
Feedlot bloat
Generally refers to bloat of cattle due to high grain rations. Feedlot diets that consume cattle can be bloated because the portions of grain are finely ground and digested quickly, causing rapid fermentation and gas production.
Secondary bloat
It is when damage occurs to the rumen or esophagus that the burping mechanism fails. This type of bloat is not so common, and it happens in particular cases.
The adequate treatment and recovery depends on the cause and severity of each particular animal.
Frothy bloat
Let’s talk a little more about this type of bloat since it is one of the most common.
The Frothy bloat is caused by the retention and accumulation of gas within the intake mass contained in the rumen and this prevents burping in a normal way.
It can occur in animals that graze on wheat grass or lush legumes (alfalfa, ladino, white clover) or that are fed green chopped legumes.
SIGNS OF FROTHY BLOAT IN CATTLE
- The most obvious sign of bloat is a distended and tense abdomen, especially on the left flank.
- Thick and foamy saliva.
- Affected cattle stop eating. They often separate from the rest and become restless.
- They have difficulty breathing, panting.
- The cattle no longer graze.
- It refuses to move.
