To evaluate rumenocentesis as a diagnostic tool in routine veterinary practice and its effects on the health of sampled cows, a total of 196 ruminal fl uid samples were drawn by rumenocentesis from 10 dairy herds. Puncture site alterations and clinical status of the sampled cows were evaluated 4 and 7 days following rumenocentesis, respectively. A small local reaction and abscess formation were observed in 24 (12.24%) and 1 (0.5%) of the sampled cows, respectively. No case of haematomas formation or general health impairment was observed.Ukupno je 196 uzoraka buražne tekućine mliječnih krava iz deset stada bilo uzeto rumenocentezom radi njezine procjene kao dijagnostičke metode u svakidašnjem veterinarskom radu i njezinih učinaka na zdravlje pretraživanih krava. Promjene na mjestu punkcije bile su promatrane četiri dana, a kliničko stanje krava sedam dana nakon rumenocenteze. Slabe lokalne reakcije bile su primijećene u 24 (12,24%), a apsces u jedne (0,5%) krave. Nije primijećen nijedan slučaj hematoma ni slabljenja općega zdravstvenoga stanja

Afshin Raoofi

Ali R. Bahonar

Gholam R. Mohammadi

Javad Tajik

Mohammad G. Nadalian

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.557ISSN 0372-5480Printed in CroatiaVETERINARSKI ARHIV 81 (5), 557-561, 2011Evaluation of rumenocentesis practicability as a routine diagnostic technique in veterinary practiceJavad Tajik1*, Mohammad G. Nadalian2, Afshin Raoofi 2, Gholam R. Mohammadi3, and Ali R. Bahonar41Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Shiraz, Shiraz, Iran 2Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran 3Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran 4Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranTAJIK, J., M. G. NADALIAN, A. RAOOFI, G. R. MOHAMMADI, A. R. BAHONAR: Evaluation of rumenocentesis practicability as a routine diagnostic technique in veterinary practice. Vet. arhiv 81, 557-561, 2011.ABSTRACTTo evaluate rumenocentesis as a diagnostic tool in routine veterinary practice and its effects on the health of sampled cows, a total of 196 ruminal fl uid samples were drawn by rumenocentesis from 10 dairy herds. Puncture site alterations and clinical status of the sampled cows were evaluated 4 and 7 days following rumenocentesis, respectively. A small local reaction and abscess formation were observed in 24 (12.24%) and 1 (0.5%) of the sampled cows, respectively. No case of haematomas formation or general health impairment was observed.Key words: rumenocentesis, dairy cattle, healthIntroductionSubacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) is the consequence of feeding high grain diets to dairy cows, which are adapted to digest predominantly forage diets (OETZEL, 2003). SARA is characterized by daily episodes of low ruminal pH between 5.5 and 5.0 (KRAUSE and OETZEL, 2006). This digestive disorder is diffi cult to diagnose in the fi eld due to the variable and subtle clinical signs (KLEEN et al., 2003). The current defi nition of SARA is based on the pH of the rumen fl uid. The recommended protocol for SARA diagnosis is the collection of ruminal fl uid by rumenocentesis (GARRETT et al., 1999; NORDLUND et al., 1995). Although rumenocentesis is recommended by ENEMARK et al., (2002) as a better *Corresponding author:Javad Tajik, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Shiraz, PO.Box: 71345-1731, Shiraz, Iran, Phone: +98 917 189 7203; Fax: +98 711 228 6940; E-mail: tajik@shirazu.ac.ir558 Vet. arhiv 81 (5), 557-561, 2011J. Tajik et al.: Evaluation of rumenocentesis practicability as a routine diagnostic techniquefi eld test in comparison to oro-ruminal probe for measurement of rumen pH, the test is not yet being applied routinely because there is some doubt about its effects on the health and productivity of sampled cows. This study was designed to evaluate rumenocentesis as a diagnostic tool and its effects on the health of sampled cows.Materials and methods10 Holstein dairy herds in the Khorasan Razavi province, northeast Iran, were selected according to willingness to participate in the study. All herds were free stall housed, were greater than 250 in size, and fed total mixed rations.Two groups of 12 cows were selected randomly from each herd. One group consisted of early lactation cows (3-20 days in milk) while the other consisted of mid lactation cows (60-150 days in milk).Four to six hours following morning TMR feeding and after clinical examination, ruminal fl uid collection was carried out by means of rumenocentesis. The puncture site was located 12 to 15 cm caudal to the costochondral junction of the last rib, on a horizontal line level with the top of the patella. Before rumenocentesis, the puncture site was shaved, disinfected (scrubbing with povidone-iodine and disinfection with 70% Ethanol) and locally anesthetized (with s.c. and i.m. injection of 2 mL of 2% lidocaine). The puncture was done using an 18 gauge, 120 mm long, stainless steel needle and 5-10 mL of ruminal fl uid was aspirated with a 20 mL syringe. When a suffi cient volume of ruminal fl uid was obtained, a small volume of air was forced through the needle. Finally, the needle exit site was wiped with povidone-iodine. During rumenocentesis, the cow was restrained by tying the hocks together and the tail was elevated.The clinical status and feed intake of the sampled animals were evaluated daily for 7 days after rumenocentesis. Palpation of the puncture site was carried out 3-5 (a median of 4) days after rumenocentesis and local cutaneous and sub cutaneous reactions were recorded.Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS12 (Illinois, Chicago), and Chi-square tests were used for comparison of the ratio of cows with post puncture complications between primiparous and multiparous cows, and between fresh and mid lactation cows. Differences were considered signifi cant at P<0.05. ResultsIt was possible to draw ruminal fl uid from 196 of the 205 animals initially selected (75 early lactation and 121 mid lactation cows). In one dairy herd, due to different housing and feeding routines, two groups of 12 early lactation cows were sampled (primiparous and multiparous cows). Additionally, in four herds, no early lactation samples were obtained because there were not enough early lactation cows.559Vet. arhiv 81 (5), 557-561, 2011J. Tajik et al.: Evaluation of rumenocentesis practicability as a routine diagnostic techniqueIn two cows ruminal fl uid sampling was not carried out due too heavy resistance and in four animals, after several tries, no ruminal fl uid was obtained. Rectal examination of the latter cows revealed a small sized rumen. Visible blood contamination of the obtained samples caused the rumen puncture to be repeated in 10 cows. No systemic disease due to rumenocentesis was recorded in the sampled cows (based on daily evaluation of cows for 7 days and disease recordings by farm practitioners for 6 months after sampling). Close examination of the puncture site revealed no local reaction in 172 (87.7%) out of the 196 sampled cows. Twelve cows (6.12%) showed a small cutaneous infl ammation (less than 1 cm in size), which in 11 cows (5.61%) was 1-3 cm. One cow (0.5%) showed a cutaneous and sub cutaneous infl ammation 5 cm in diameter, that changed to a superfi cial abscess and fi nally cured spontaneously. No case of haematomas formation at the site of the puncture was recorded.Eighteen fresh cows and 6 mid lactation cows had cutaneous infl ammation and the difference between these two groups was signifi cant (P<0.001). Sixty out of the 196 sampled cows were primiparous and 136 cows were multiparous. Thirteen primiparous and 11 multiparous cows showed post puncture complications and the difference between primiparous and multiparous cows was signifi cant (P<0.05).DiscussionIn the present study the effects of rumenocentesis on the health of dairy cows were assessed on a large scale. Our fi ndings showed the practicability of rumenocentesis in herd diagnosis of SARA. Furthermore, quick diagnosis, low expense and rare complications support rumenocentesis as a suitable diagnostic technique. It yields reliable results, in comparison with an oro-ruminal probe, because the samples are drawn from the consistent region of the rumen. The absence of conditional variations in the obtained results, such as those seen with oro-ruminal probe sampling, allows for comparison of pH in individual cows and herds.Although rumenocentesis complications and local pathologic lesions rates in our study were very low, in some previous studies haematomas and abscess formation at the puncture site and septic peritonitis were observed in different proportions of sampled cows (KLEEN et al., 2004). MORGANTE et al. (2007) and ENEMARK et al. (2004) performed rumenocentesis on 480 and 58 cows, respectively. None of the sampled cows in these studies had problems during and subsequent to the sampling. On the other hand, STRABEL et al. (2007) evaluated clinical and pathological consequences of rumenocentesis in 11 dairy cows. They reported: forced inspiration (3 cows), transient episodes of hyperthermia (2 cows), increased tension of the abdominal wall (8 cows), positive foreign body tests (3 cows), generalised septic peritonitis (one cow) and hematoma formation in the area of the puncture site (9 cows) as the consequences of rumemenocentesis. It seems that small 560 Vet. arhiv 81 (5), 557-561, 2011J. Tajik et al.: Evaluation of rumenocentesis practicability as a routine diagnostic techniqueneedle size, deep local anesthesia, local disinfection and a small volume of fl uid collected were the underlying factors responsible for fewer post puncture complications in our study. According to our results, the occurrence of skin reaction to the rumenocentesis was different between fresh and mid lactation cows, and between primiparous and multiparous cows. Some factors, such as immune system condition (under stress or not) and the level of the cow’s resistance during rumenocentesis (usually higher in primiparous cows) may affect the occurrence of rumenocentesis complications.Although the use of this technique is straightforward, in small and medium sized dairy herds, selection of suffi cient early lactation cows could be diffi cult. Furthermore, the recommended protocol for SARA diagnosis is collection of ruminal fl uid by rumenocentesis from a sub-sample of 12 cows from a herd or diet group. If three or more cows in either group have rumen pH of 5.5 or less, the group is considered to be experiencing SARA (NORDLUND et al., 1995; GARRETT et al., 1999). This protocol applies to herds with either a high (>30%) or low (<15%) prevalence of low ruminal pH (ENEMARK, 2008). Time consuming, heavy resistance of some cows and blood contamination of samples are other probable problems in the use of rumenocentesis as a diagnostic procedure.ACETO et al. (2000) reported that rumenocentesis causes a 16% decrease in the milk production of sampled cows. It seems that the stress levels at the time of rumen puncture and post puncture complications are the main determinant factors of the milk production decrement. At present, routine monitoring of rumen pH by rumenocentesis is the most effi cient way to recognize SARA at an early enough stage to allow for corrective measures. Rumenocentesis is tolerated well by cows and the correct performance of this technique has few complications, so that prevention of economic losses due to SARA recompenses its complications and milk production decrement.ConclusionThe present study confi rmed rumenocentesis as a practicable diagnostic procedure for routine determination of ruminal pH and diagnosis of subacute ruminal acidosis in dairy cattle.ReferencesACETO, H., A. J. SIMEONE, J. D. FERGUSON (2000): Effect of rumenocentesis on health and productivity in dairy cows. J. Anim. Sci. (Suppl. 1). 83, 40.ENEMARK, J. M. D. (2008): The monitoring, prevention and treatment of sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA): A review. Vet. J. 176, 32-43.ENEMARK, J. M. D., R. J. JORGENSEN, P. S. ENEMARK (2002): Rumen acidosis with special emphasis on diagnosis aspects of subclinical rumen acidosis: A review. Vet. Zootec. 42, 16-29.561Vet. arhiv 81 (5), 557-561, 2011J. Tajik et al.: Evaluation of rumenocentesis practicability as a routine diagnostic techniqueENEMARK, J. M. D., R. J. JORGENSEN, N. B KRISTENSEN (2004): An evaluation of parameters for the detection of subclinical rumen acidosis in dairy herds. Vet. Res. Commun. 28, 687-709.GARRETT, E. F., M. N. PERRIERA, K. V. NORDLUND, L. E. ARMENTANO, W. J. GOODGER, G. R. OETZEL (1999): Diagnostic methods for the detection of subacute ruminal acidosis in dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 82, 1170-1178.KLEEN, J. L., G. A. HOOIJER, J. REHAGE, J. P. T. NOORDHUIZEN (2004): Rumenocentesis (rumen puncture): A viable instrument in herd health diagnosis, Dtsch. tierärztl. Wschr. 111, 458-462.KLEEN, J. L., G. A. HOOIJER, J. REHAGE, J. P. T. NOORDHUIZEN (2003): Subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA): a review. J. Vet. Med. Series A 50, 406-414.KRAUSE, K. M., G. R. OETZEL (2006): Understanding and preventing subacute ruminal acidosis in dairy herds: a review. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 126, 215-236.MORGANTE, M., C. STELLETTA, P. BERZAGHI, M. GIANESELLA, I. ANDRIGHETTO (2007): Subacute rumen acidosis in lactating cows: an investigation in intensive Italian dairy herds. J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr. 91, 226-234.NORDLUND, K. V., E. F. GARRETT, G.R. OETZEL (1995): Herd-based rumenocentesis - a clinical approach to the diagnosis of subacute rumen acidosis. Compend. Contin. Educ. Pract. Vet. 17, S48-S56.OETZEL, G. R. (2003): Subacute ruminal acidosis in dairy cattle. Adv. Dairy Technol. 15, 307-317.STRABEL, D., A. EWY, T. KAUFMANN, A. STEINER, M. KIRCHHOFER (2007): Rumenocentesis: a suitable technique for analysis of rumen juice pH in cattle? Schweiz. Arch. Tierheilkd. 149, 301-306.TAJIK, J., M. G. NADALIAN, A. RAOOFI, G. R. MOHAMMADI, A. R. BAHONAR: Procjena praktičnosti rumenocenteze kao svakidašnje dijagnostičke metode u veterinarskoj praksi. Vet. arhiv 81, 557-561, 2011.SAŽETAKUkupno je 196 uzoraka buražne tekućine mliječnih krava iz deset stada bilo uzeto rumenocentezom radi njezine procjene kao dijagnostičke metode u svakidašnjem veterinarskom radu i njezinih učinaka na zdravlje pretraživanih krava. Promjene na mjestu punkcije bile su promatrane četiri dana, a kliničko stanje krava sedam dana nakon rumenocenteze. Slabe lokalne reakcije bile su primijećene u 24 (12,24%), a apsces u jedne (0,5%) krave. Nije primijećen nijedan slučaj hematoma ni slabljenja općega zdravstvenoga stanja. Ključne riječi: rumenocenteza, mliječne krave, zdravlje Received: 14 June 2010Accepted: 14 July 2011.

Procjena praktičnosti rumenocenteze kao svakidašnje dijagnostičke metode u veterinarskoj praksi

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