Treatment of cattle feed with caustic soda
Cutler, K.L.; Cook, N.B.
Veterinary Record 134(17): 455-456
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 0042-4900 PMID: 8048223 Document Number: 439098
Over a period of a fortnight, 12 adult lactating cows in a 420-cow Friesian herd were presented with inappetence, lethargy, profuse salivation and a shuffling laminitis gait. Clinical examination revealed pyrexia (39.7 to 40.5 degrees C), reduced gut sounds and large areas of buccal and lingual mucosal erosion and ulceration. Animals were initially constipated, but soon developed diarrhoea and melaena. Loosening of the incisor teeth, necrotic-smelling breath, a mucopurulent nasal discharge, corneal oedema with epiphora and erosion of the nasal area were present in some cases. Six of the affected cows either died or were killed on welfare grounds. PM examination of 3 of these cows revealed ulceration in the mouth pharynx, oesophagus, rumen and abomasum. The lining of both the small and large intestine was inflamed and congested with petechial and ecchymotic haemorrhages. Foot-and-mouth disease was ruled out on clinical grounds. Mucosal disease, malignant catarrhal fever and peracute infection with infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus were ruled out following laboratory investigation. Careful investigation revealed that during the period before veterinary involvement a batch of damp sodium hydroxide prills had been used to treat the wheat fed to the cattle; these often formed clumps which may have been ingested. It was also established that only half the recommended volume of water had been used in some of the mixes. Soda prills that had failed to dissolve may therefore have been fed. In addition, at one stage, when all of the stored caustic wheat had been used, a new batch was mixed and left to stand for only 24 h before being fed; this mix may have retained some corrosive properties. It is postulated that these problems resulted in the clinical signs observed in the 12 clinical cases seen, with presumably other individuals suffering from subclinical disease.
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