Kvet Forum
Well-known member
Cattle with acute local or diffuse peritonitis may grunt spontaneously with almost every expiration; this is usually exaggerated in the recumbent position. However, grunting may also be caused by severe pneumonia, pleurisy and severe pulmonary emphysema. Careful auscultation and percussion of the lungs is therefore necessary to exclude the presence of pulmonary disease.
Not all grunts occur spontaneously. Deep palpation of the cranial part of the abdomen using the closed hand or knee is often necessary to elicit a grunt in cattle. Auscultation over the trachea is often necessary to hear the grunt, which is best elicited if pressure is applied to the abdomen at the end of inspiration and the beginning of expiration. The inspiratory and expiratory sounds are noted for six to eight respirations by auscultation over the trachea and then, without warning to the animal, firm palpation is applied to the abdomen.
A grunt indicates the presence of a peritoneal lesion (stretching or inflammation of the peritoneum regardless of cause). The absence of a grunt does not preclude the presence of a peritoneal lesion. In acute traumatic reticuloperitonitis the grunt may be present for only 3 to 5 days after the initial penetration of the reticulum.
A rigid bar or wooden pole may be necessary to apply pressure in large cattle (large cows and bulls). The bar is held by two people in a horizontal position just behind the xiphoid sternum while a third person auscultates over the trachea when the bar is lifted firmly up into the abdomen. Simultaneous auscultation over the trachea ensures that the grunt is heard.
Several attempts should be made to elicit a grunt before concluding the absence of one. The ventral aspect and both sides of the abdomen should be examined beginning at the level of the xiphoid sternum and moving caudally to approximately the umbilicus. This will ensure that the cranial and caudal aspects of the abdomen are examined for the presence of points of abdominal pain.
Pinching of the withers is also used to elicit a grunt. In the average-sized cow, pinching of the withers causes the animal to depress its back. In an animal with a painful lesion of the peritoneum, depression of its back will commonly result in a grunt, which is clearly audible by auscultation over the trachea and is often audible without the use of the stethoscope.
The term anterior abdominal pain is used to characterize the pain associated with several diseases of the anterior abdomen of cattle, which would include traumatic reticuloperitonitis, hepatic abscesses, abomasal ulcers, and intestinal obstruction. The differential diagnosis of the anterior abdominal pain would include diseases that cause thoracic pain such as pleuritis, pericarditis, and severe pulmonary disease.