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TRAUMATIC RETICULITIS (wire) DEFINITION Traumatic reticulitis is characterised by the sudden appearance of some or all of the following signs: dullness, anorexia, milk drop, fever, abdominal pain and intestinal stasis. INCIDENCE The condition is almost exclusively a disease of adult cattle and is relatively common. It is usually a sporadic problem of individual cattle although occasionally farmers may experience several cases within a short period, presumably as the result of heavily contaminated fodder. There are reasons for believing that traumatic reticulitis occurs far more commonly than is generally recognised. Chronic reticular adhesions are a very frequent finding in old cows at slaughter. AETIOLOGY Clinical signs arise as the result of penetration of the reticular wall by a foreign body; usually the foreign body is metallic (a nail or a wire) but sometimes nonmetallic objects such as stiff broom-bristles or sharp pieces of plastic may be involved. Usually, a foreign body which penetrates the reticular wall measures about 7-8 cm long. PATHOGENESIS Foreign bodies are most commonly ingested with hay or silage and many produce no obvious signs or at most, a transient discomfort. However, when more serious problems do arise, the foreign body most frequently penetrates the stomach wall, presumably after it has been trapped by the honeycomb-like folds of the lining. Subsequent events appear to depend on the extent to which infection spreads following penetration. In certain cases, infection may be limited to the reticular wall (reticular abscesses) while in others there maybe infected tracts with overlying reticular adhesions; in very severe cases, penetration and infection may give rise to widespread peritonitis and/or lesions in the spleen, liver or heart. CLINICAL SIGNSThis is usually of a sudden onset illness associated with often complete anorexia and a marked drop in milk yield in the case of lactating cows. Observant owners may also notice an abnormal stance or gait, no faeces, a degree of ruminal tympany and an expiratory grunt. In the early stages of traumatic reticulitis (i.e. within the first two days or so) the cow will be rather dull, showing little interest in food and not cudding. If passed, faeces will be very much reduced in quantity, dark-coloured and hard. At this stage, animals usually prefer to stand, and moreover, to stand with their hindfeet at a lower level than their forefeet (in tethered cattle this results in an obvious preference for them to stand with their feet in the grip or gutter). An occasional animal will be down and if this does occur, other signs of abdominal pain which may only have been mild while standing (and, in particular, an expiratory grunt) will often become much more obvious. In addition, they stand with elbows outwards, an arched back and an empty, tucked-up abdomen. Such cases are usually reluctant to move and when forced to do so, often assume a rather characteristic stiff ("wooden") gait.DIAGNOSIS With a good history and a prompt consultation about an animal which has hitherto been untreated, a confident diagnosis, based upon the results of a first examination, is usually possible. Problems arise with poor histories, delays in consultation and in cattle which have already received some form of medication, particularly antibiotic therapy. TREATMENT So often the approach to a case depends on economic considerations. Briefly, in early cases, where the diagnosis is in little doubt and the subject is a reasonably valuable animal, prompt surgery should be carried out and in such circumstances the prognosis is good. |
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