Factors Associated with Acute Bloat Syndrome in Pre-Weaned Dairy Heifers

Acute bloat syndrome (ABS) is an emerging problem in dairy herds. Affected calves suffer from the sudden onset of bloat or abdominal distention and die, generally within 6 to 24 hours. Little is known about this frustrating disease. To identify factors associated with ABS, a survey was developed and sent to members of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners self-identified as dairy or mostly large animal veterinarians. Seven hundred eight (30%) of 2,312 surveys were returned, with 37.6 % (n = 276) responding to questions about their last case of ABS. In the previous 12 months, half of the practitioners reported seeing $4 cases of ABS and 5 % seeing> 40 cases. Over half of the practitioners saw cases sporadically, with only 6.5 % reporting multiple outbreaks (an outbreak was defined as 3 or more cases in 3 weeks). A necropsy was performed in 73 % of the reported cases. The primary organ(s) involved were the abomasum (34%), the rumen (6.6%), or both the rumen and abomasum (21.1%). In 60.5 % of the samples submitted for laboratory analysis, no bacteria were isolated. In 31.3 % of the cases Clostridium spp. and in 5 to 8 % of the cases, Sarcina spp. were reported. The ABS cases were observed in all age groups (0 to> 21days). Less than 3 % of cases were reported in calves < 4 days old. No clear seasonal patterns emerged. Common symptoms included abdominal distension on both sides (65.8%), fluid slosh (56.4%), colicy (47%), and dehydration (42.1%). Only 23.3% reported diarrhea. Of the reported cases, 60.3% resulted in death. More than 62 % of the time, practitioners rated overall calf management as very good or excellent. Management was rated at least good 88.5 % of the time. Responses regarding management practices of the calf’s herd reflected common management practices. No particular management practices were excluded. Additional questions were asked about treatments used by practitioners. This survey begins to identify factors associated with ABS. Further work is needed to more clearly identify causes leading to successful treatment and prevention of this costly disease