Purulent inflammation of the pericardium (around the heart) due to injury is quite often observed in cows and other cattle. The pathological process entails serious consequences for the life and health of the animal, including death. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the treatment brings virtually no benefit. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the prevention of traumatic pericarditis.
What is a disease?
This disease is a complex inflammatory process that affects the pericardial sac and nearby tissues.The provoking factor is injury received by the animal in contact with foreign objects. They most often enter the cow's body along with feed. The pericardium is a cavity that surrounds the heart and serves as a protective barrier against infection and inflammation.
Sharp edges of objects damage the walls of the stomach and penetrate through it into the blood. They move through the vessels to the heart and other organs, also causing injury to them (the liver and lungs may be damaged). However, the ultimate goal is always the heart, since the blood moves towards it. The resulting wound serves as a gateway for infection, resulting in inflammatory processes in the tissues.
The heart muscle contracts and pushes the foreign body even deeper, thereby damaging the middle and outer membrane of the organ. Since the movement of an object injures the vessels, a large amount of blood accumulates between the pericardium and the heart. The pressure on the organ increases, causing it to stop and the animal dies.
Inflammation provokes hemorrhage and swelling, as a result of which the heart sac fills with exudate. The volume of liquid can reach 30-40 liters. The nature of the discharge is as follows:
- purulent;
- serous;
- hemorrhagic;
- serous-fibrous.
The consequence of these processes is a slowdown in blood flow, compression of the lungs, disruption of the heart, irritation of nerve fibers (the cow experiences pain), and an increase in the animal’s body temperature. When serous-fibrous fluid is released and enters the pericardium, fibrin remains on the walls of the pericardial sac and the outer shell of the heart, forming layers of layers.
Why does the disease occur?
Factors contributing to the development of the disease are the following:
- Injury to the pericardial sac by a foreign body with sharp edges. Such an object could be a needle, wire, or nail. The animal swallows them along with food when grazing on contaminated pastures.
- Entry of a foreign body from the outside through a wound that the animal could receive during a skirmish with relatives.
- Damage to the sternum. As a result of its deformation, the ribs can break and injure the pericardial sac and nearby tissues with a sharp edge.
In each case, the cow’s condition is aggravated due to associated factors, namely: intra-abdominal pressure increases under the influence of such processes:
- childbirth;
- great physical activity;
- powerful blow to the abdominal cavity;
- binge eating;
- falling belly down.
Signs and symptoms
Symptoms vary depending on the form of the disease:
- acute;
- subacute;
- chronic.
In addition, the course of pericarditis is divided into two phases:
- dry (initial stage, in which there is no discharge);
- effusion (purulent discharge is formed).
Acute dry pericarditis is characterized by the following symptoms:
- Cardiopalmus.
- Increased heart function (beats become more powerful).
- Heart murmur. Reminds me of crackling, scratching, friction. Its source is the pericardium, the inflamed leaves of which touch each other during contractions. In severe cases of the disease, this symptom can be detected by palpation of the chest.
At this stage, severe pain is observed. The animal's activity decreases, as the cow tries not to make sudden movements.
To reduce pressure on her heart, she arches her back as much as possible and spreads her legs wide.
Over time, the pathology moves into the effusion stage, which is characterized by:
- the sound of friction changes to splashing (this means that the pericardial sac is filled with liquid - pus and other secretions);
- the heartbeat quickens even more, but the sound of the beats becomes muffled;
- the animal stops feeling pain;
- the leaves no longer rub against each other - they are now separated by liquid.
The further course of the disease in the cow leads to the following consequences:
- exudate continues to accumulate;
- the pressure on the heart increases, which prevents the expansion of the organ - blood does not fill the ventricles, stagnation occurs, and blood circulation is impaired.
At this stage, the animal exhibits symptoms:
- Decreased blood pressure.
- Dyspnea.
- Enlarged liver.
- The rapid heartbeat becomes constant.
- Possible bronchitis.
- A feeling of pain, due to which the cow moves very carefully, has difficulty lying down and standing up (at the same time, the chest rises first, and then the rest of the body).
- Decreased or lack of appetite in the animal.
- Decrease in milk yield.
- During movements, the cow moans.
- Swelling of the neck and chest area.
- When palpating the sternum, the cow experiences pain.
Diagnostics
Traumatic pericarditis in a cow is diagnosed by a veterinarian based on:
- listening to the heart (presence of murmurs, tachycardia, increased beats);
- palpation (the cow is experiencing pain at this moment);
- external signs of illness (swelling, changes in the animal’s behavior);
- X-ray (shows enlargement of the organ, its immobility);
- punctures (in difficult cases) - done on the left side in the quarter intercostal space;
- laboratory tests (leukocytosis, lymphopenia, eosinopenia).
It is important to distinguish traumatic pericarditis in a cow from pleurisy, dropsy, myocarditis, and endocarditis.Dropsy in an animal is painless; with pleurisy, the noises coincide with breathing. Myocarditis and endocarditis are characterized by specific symptoms.
Rules for the treatment of traumatic pericarditis in cattle
Treatment of this disease does not have a positive effect, so the animal is sent for slaughter. However, in some cases it is still possible to achieve some results. Therapy involves the following:
- The animal is provided with complete rest.
- Transferred to dietary feed (grass, hay, liquid bran mixtures).
- If the cow refuses to take food, it is force-fed through artificial feeding.
Treatment is carried out in three areas:
- removal of exudate;
- relieving sepsis;
- restoration of heart function.
The specific actions of the veterinarian are as follows:
- An ice bag is applied and secured to the animal's sternum.
- An injection of glucose into a vein is given (the use of drugs that normalize heart function is undesirable, since they worsen the condition of the body).
- Sulfanilamide and other antibiotics are used (against sepsis), as well as diuretics (to remove exudate from the animal’s body).
- A subcutaneous injection of sodium salicylate is given.
- At the end of the course of treatment, the condition of the cow is closely monitored. If the disease returns, the animal is culled. Only sometimes do they resort to surgery to remove the foreign body from the cow’s body.
Prevention
Basic preventive measures include the following:
- Checking animal feed for the presence of metallic foreign objects using magnets (the food is passed through special installations).
- Instead of tying together parts of a broken harness with wire, you should purchase a new one.
- Hay is usually rolled up with wire, so it should be unpacked very carefully.
- Check animals regularly with a magnetic probe (there is a chance to remove wire or other metal objects in time).
- Prevention of licking is required (the animal begins to eat everything). To do this, the cow's daily menu is saturated with vitamin and mineral supplements.
- Systematic examination of animals by a veterinarian.
- Checking the pasture for debris before grazing livestock.
Traumatic pericarditis is a dangerous and common disease in cattle, which in most cases leads to the death of the animal. Proper living conditions and timely preventive measures will help prevent the occurrence of pathology.
