Recognizing & Treating Bloat

Growing up on my father's dairy farm, bloat was a condition that I gained a familiarity with early on.

My dad and I still talk about one instance where a group of newly purchased replacement heifers developed frothy bloat after being turned out on fresh spring grass. Thankfully, we were able to save a fair number of them. They went on to become good producers in our herd, and we avoided a significant financial loss. However, the situation could have turned out much differently.

While no longer plentiful, family farms Wa dating back multiple generations still populate the scenic valley that I call home. From my farm, it's easy to think of a member of our farming community whose unique expertise lends itself well to the column topics I seek to cover. In each issue, I'll spotlight farming operations whose practices aren't only applicable across the country but that you can take and make use of for your own farm.-Hope Ellis-Ashburn

Fast forward many decades later: Bloat is a rare occurrence in my family's cow-calf beef operation.

That said, a neighbor’s recent case once again brought the sometimes-life-threatening emergency to the forefront and illustrated a need for preparedness and a review of treatment protocols.

Early ID

The most successful outcomes when treating bloat come about when it’s identified early. One important proactive management practice to accomplish just that is being observant of changes in the shape of your cattle and familiarizing yourself with what is normal and what is not.

“If you stand behind a cow, and you are looking at her facing forward, you should look at the shape of her abdomen,” says Lew Strickland, a veterinarian with the University of Tennessee’s extension service and college of veterinary medicine. “She should be shaped like a pear.”