Ruminal acidosis-A case compilation study in SAQ Teaching Veterinary Hospital , Bangladesh

Aim: A 6-month comprehensive study was undertaken to find out the prevalence, risk factors, and treatment response of ruminal acidosis of cattle and goats at the SAQ Teaching Veterinary Hospital, , Bangladesh. Materials and Methods: A total of 609 clinical cases were considered during the study period and the diagnosis of the cases was performed based on detailed history, clinical signs, and clinical examinations including color, odor and consistency of rumen fluid and rumen microflora movements. The confirmations of the cases were done by measuring the pH of the rumen fluid and the blood. Calcium level of blood was measured by biochemical analyzer to determine hypocalcaemia. Results: The overall prevalence of ruminal acidosis in ruminants were 2.6% and found no significant differences (p>0.05) between cattle (4.04%) and goat (1.9%). Moreover, there were no significant variation (p>0.05) was observed among the sex (male and female of cattle and goats were 5.1% & 3.4% and 3.3% & 2.1%, respectively), breeds (non-descriptive and descriptive breeds of cattle and Black Bengal and Jamnapari goats were 3.7% & 4.7% and 1.8% & 2.1%, respectively) and two age groups of cattle and goats (3.7% & 4.3% and 2.02% &1.8%, respectively). Among the risk factors of ruminal acidosis feeding of cooked rice was highest (50% and 62.5% in cattle and goats, respectively) followed by feeding of rice gruel (25%) and feeding jackfruit residue, potato, bread each by 12.5%. A positive correlation was observed between duration of illness Conclusion: Ruminal acidosis is a vital nutritional problem in ruminants in terms of substantial health problem and economic point of views. This study recommends that farmers should abstain from feeding of the large amount of easily digestible carbohydrates to ruminants at a time.


Introduction
may happen in feedlots where feeder steers are introduced to total concentrate diets rather than being Livestock plays an important role in the national gradually changed from high roughage to high economy of Bangladesh with direct contribution of concentrate feeds [3].A large number of farmers are around 8% to the agricultural GDP and providing 32% involved in cattle and goat fattening just 3-4 months of total employment in the economy [1].Livestock before Eid-Ul-Azha [4] and most cases ruminal suffers from many infectious and non-infectious acidosis are reported during this time due to feeding of diseases.Ruminal acidosis is one of the non-infectious easily digestible carbohydrate.Lactic acidosis is a problems of all ruminant species.Many ruminants + clinical condition due to accumulation of H ions from suffer from ruminal acidosis due to improper feeding lactic acid, characterized by blood lactate level practices resulting from lack of knowledge of risk >5mmole/L and arterial pH <7.25.Lactic acidosis can factors.Ruminal acidosis occur when ruminants ingest cause ruminitis, metabolic acidosis, lameness, huge amount of rapidly fermentable carbohydrates, pneumonia and death [5].Diagnosis of the cases can be principally starches and sugars [2] or the sudden done based on supporting clinical signs such as changes to a diet containing high level of finely ground complete anorexia, abdominal pain, rapid beating of rapidly fermentable feeds such as corn or wheat.This the heart, abnormally fast breathing, diarrhea, lethargy, diet characteristics and ruminal fluid pH [6].
The principles of treatment include correction of ruminal and systemic acidosis and prevent further production of lactic acid, restoration of fluid and elec-attached to a 10ml disposable syringe.In case of cattle trolyte losses and facilitate fore stomach and intestinal a 2x2cm area was marked on the left paralumbar fossa, motility to normal [7].Ruminal acidosis is considered approximately one hand length ventral to the lumbar transverse process and one hand width caudal to the last the most important nutritional disorder in US feedlots rib.In goat the intended area was selected in left and the dairy industry [8].Mutsvangwa,[9] estimated paralumbar fossa at a point 3 inches ventral to the the annual cost of sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA) lumbar transverse process and 2 inches caudal to the to the US dairy industry at $500 million to $1 billion.In last rib.The selected area was shaved and sterilized addition, apart from compromises to dairy cow health with 70% alcohol and the sampling needle was inserted and economics, SARA is of concern for animal welfare firmly through into the rumen.Five (5) ml of rumen reasons, since lameness and laminitis impact signififluid was collected by applying back pressure to the cantly on cow comfort and general well-being [8,10].
piston of syringe.The collected fluid was taken into a In Bangladesh, most of the cases ruminal acidosis sample vial.One (1) ml of collecting rumen fluid was resulting from accidental intake of large amounts of taken in a watch glass and a piece of pH indicator paper cooked rice, rice gruel, potato, bread, jackfruit residue (Merck-universal indicator pH 1-14, Merck Limited, or other easily digestible carbohydrates.Now a day's Worli, Mumbai-400 018) inserted into the fluid for a most of the farmers are involved in the fattening of few seconds.The color change was observed in pH cattle or keep attention to obtain large volumes of milk indicator paper to determine the pH.To identify the from animals.But due to ignorance of feeding practice motility of the rumen microflora a drop of fluid was a considerable number of animals affected with ruminal taken into a clean glass slide and after putting a cover acidosis.Some of the cases, the affected animals are slip the content was observed under low power objective remain unnoticed due to lack of knowledge.Most of (10x).Physical characteristics (Color, consistency and the acutely affected animals die due to lack of proper odor) of rumen fluid were determined by using organotreatment selection, these results a great economic loss leptic test. in our country.Limited or no study was conducted in Three ml of blood from the same animal was Bangladesh to explore prevalence, risk factors and collected by using a 5 ml sterile disposable plastic effectiveness of treatment of ruminal acidosis.So, the syringe attached with 22 gauge needle from the jugular current research was designed to find out prevalence, vein.The blood sample was taken into vacutainer that risk factors and most effective treatment of ruminal contain anticoagulants (Na-citrate) and centrifugation acidosis in cattle and goat.
of blood was done at 1000 rpm for 10 minutes for Chemistry Analyzer, semi-automated Benchtop Selection of cases: The total numbers of animals chemistry photometer, CHEM-LABS Company, East reported in hospital were considered to determine the Africa-Kenya).Confirmatory diagnosis was performed prevalence of ruminal acidosis.Presumptive diagnosis based on rumen fluid pH described by Khafipour et al., of the cases was made based on history (feeding of [12] and serum pH stated by Owens et al., [11].easily digestible carbohydrates such as cooked rice, 8 cattle and 8 goats, clinically affected ruminal jackfruit residue, potato etc.) and clinical signs acidosis was considered for treatment to find out the includes complete anorexia, abdominal pain, rapid response to treatment.After treatment, patients were heart rate, abnormally fast breathing, diarrhea, exhibit kept under close observation by active and passive the lethargic star gaze described by Nordlund, [6] and participation and recurring cases were observed in low ruminal pH, low blood pH and stop or reduced hospital.motility of microflora described by Owens et al., [11].
Statistical analysis: The obtained data were stored in Collection of samples and evaluation: Rumen fluid Microsoft excel-2007 and analyzed by using was collected by using a 14 gauge, 5 inch long needle STATA/IC-11.The mean and SEM with 95% CI were The occurrences of ruminal acidosis in cattle were p<0.05 considered as significant.
found 50% due to cooked rice followed by 12.5% cases due to potato, jackfruit residue, bread and palm.On the

Results
other hand, in goat 62.5% cases were due to cooked rice A total of 609 ruminant animals (both cattle and followed by 25% and 12.5% cases due to rice gruel and goats) were recorded during the study period, among bread, respectively (Table -4).them 16 were identified with ruminal acidosis and During the rumen fluid examination, the presence overall prevalence was 2.6%.
of rumen flora movement under the microscope was Table-2 describes the prevalence of ruminal observed 12.5% in cattle and 25% in goat.The color of acidosis in different species, sexes, breeds and age rumen fluid was greenish, greenish brown and milky groups of animals.There were found no significant gray in 25% and 37.5%, 12.5% and 25%, 62.5% and variation (p>0.05) of the prevalence among the cattle 37.5%, respectively in cattle and goat.The consistency (4.04%) and goats (1.9%), between male and female of of rumen fluid was found watery (25% & 37.5%), thick cattle (5.1% and 1.9% ) and goat (3.3% and 2.1%), watery (50% & 25%), and gruel like (25% & 37.5%) in between Non Descriptive (ND) (3.7%) and Holstein cattle and in goat.Most of the cases (87.5%) the odor of Friesian cross (HF cross) breed (4.7%) cattle, between the rumen fluid were sour in both species (Table -5).Black Bengal goat (1.8%) and Jamnapari goat (2.1%) A positive correlation between the duration of and between different age groups of cattle (3.7% in < 2 illness of different cases and ruminal fluid pH (an year's cattle and 4.3% in > 2 year's cattle) and goat increase in the duration of illness also increases the (2.02% in < 1½ year's goats and 1.8% in > 1½ year's ruminal fluid pH up to the certain level) and a negative goat).
correlation between the duration of illness and serum pH (an increase in the duration of illness results The mean temperature, rumen motility per 5 decreases the serum pH up to a certain level) were minutes, rumen fluid pH and serum pH of the affected 0 observed.These correlations in case of cattle and goats cattle were 101.06 ±1.24 F , 3.25±2.6,5.01±0.63 and are plotted in Figure-1.7.16±0.23,respectively.Moreover, affected goat were Table-6 describe the response to treatment of Germany.Krause and Oetzel,[14] showed 4% different groups of animals.It was revealed that there prevalence of clinical acidosis in feedlot which is more was no statistically significant difference in response to or less similar.A number of researchers found higher treatment between group A and B (P> 0.05).This study prevalence of subacute ruminal acidosis [7,13,15,16].also revealed that in comparison between other groups There were no significant differences observed in the (Except, between A and B) has significant differences prevalences between the species, breeds, sex and age (p<0.05) in response to treatment.Any comparison groups and these findings agree with Radostits et al., with group D with other group, the difference in [7] who reported all types of ruminant are susceptible response to treatment was highly significant (p=0.00).
to ruminal acidosis.It was revealed that sudden ingestion So treatment with both ruminal alkalizer and systemic of large amount of easily digestible carbohydrates alkalizer is the most effective treatment and animal predisposed the ruminal acidosis in most of the cases response more quickly (within 1.81±0.09days) than which agree with several researchers [2,17] who other types of treatments.
mentioned easily digestible carbohydrates or grain act as predisposing factors of ruminal acidosis.

Discussion
In most of the cases a remarkable change in the The overall prevalence of ruminal acidosis found physical characteristics of ruminal fluid were observed 2.6% in the current study which is not similar to the during the period of rumen acidosis, such as becoming findings of kleen et al., [13] who found a herd prevamilky color, watery consistency, and souring odor.lence of 20% in case of sub-acute acidosis in cattle of These findings were in agreement with Jasmin et al.,  [18] who reported changes were similar to events Teaching Veterinary Hospital, observed in sheep with rumen acidosis.In the present and Department of study, the rumen fluid pH was found to be in between Physiology, Biochemistry & Pharmacology for their 4.2-6.0 which is almost similar to findings of Nagaraja contentious support to the present research.and Titgemeyer, [19] and Plaizier et al.,[20], reported . The collected serum was taken in a watch glass and a piece of pH indicator paper inserted Study area and study period: The study was conducted into the serum for a few seconds.The color change was at the SAQ Teaching Veterinary Hospital, CVASU, observed to determine the pH.The serum Ca level was Bangladesh, during the period of July to December, determined by biochemical analyzer (Humalyzer-3000 2012.

NS=Figure- 1 .
Figure-1.Changes in rumen and blood pH in relation with time elapse after onset of illness in Cattle (A) and Goat (B).

Table - 1
. Treatment schedule for four groups of animals

Table - 2
. Prevalence of ruminal acidosis in different species, sexes, breeds and age groups

Table - 4
. Analysis of risk factors involved in occurrence of ruminal acidosis in cattle and goat

Table - 5
. Analysis of different characteristics of rumen fluid in ruminal acidosis in cattle and goat

Table - 6
. Response of different groups of animals in different treatments