What to do if a cow ate a plastic bag and possible danger
Inorganic litter is becoming more common in pastures and cows. These are packages, wrappers, foil, film. Most often, such waste ends up on the pasture with the wind. Eating dangerous cellophane "delicacies" by animals threatens serious health problems and even death. What to do when the cow has eaten the plastic bag? Let's figure it out together.
What is the danger to the animal?
Polyethylene and cellophane are transparent moisture resistant film materials. They are equally dangerous to a cow. When ingested, the film is not digested, but compressed into a stone. There is a threat of mechanical blockage of the food passages from the stomach and esophagus.
In rare cases, eating a packet by a cow passes without visible disturbances and consequences. This is most often due to the small size of the foreign body that has entered the body. Polyethylene curls up into a ball and comes out with feces. If the size of the eaten package is large or the eating of the film took place systematically, there is a threat to the health of the animal.
Risks when cows eat polyethylene.
- Diarrhea. It develops with partial blockage of the gastrointestinal tract. Only liquid content passes through the resulting "cellophane mash". Farmers often confuse this condition with coccidiosis, salmonella, E. coli. Due to the lack of special assistance, the situation is getting worse.
- Clogged esophagus and stopping stomach contractions. It is accompanied by constipation, gas formation. The condition threatens to stop breathing and the death of the cow.
- Volvulus. It is characterized by the formation of intestinal nodes.
- Complete intestinal obstruction. Gas quickly expands the stomach and intestines. The process is accompanied by impaired blood circulation, oxygen starvation of organs, intoxication.
The only way out in such situations is to remove the plastic bag from the animal's body. But due to the large size of the cow, this becomes problematic. Not all veterinarians agree to such an operation. If cellophane entangled the intestines, help is useless, the animal is taken to slaughter.
What if the cow ate the bag?
Unpleasant and dangerous situation - a cow chews and swallows a plastic bag. A typical farmer's first reaction is to remove the foreign body as quickly as possible. A real execution for the animal begins: the mouth is wide open, a wedge is inserted between the jaws, a hand is inserted into the throat and they are trying to find the end of the film. Also, some owners induce vomiting, hoping that the swallowed packet will come out with the masses. All these actions are erroneous and dangerous, since such "help" can only aggravate the condition of the cow, accelerating its death.
For 3 days, you need to carefully monitor the condition and feces. The best outcome of the situation is the natural exit of the plastic bag. In consultation with the veterinarian, the process can be stimulated and accelerated by trying to soften the film.
The following tools are allowed.
- Vaseline oil. Add to drink at the rate of 10 ml per 1 liter of water. No more than 2 times a day.
- Ammonia. For 5 liters of water 2-3 drops. Give throughout the day, but not more than 2 days.
- Duphalac. Give 5-7 ml orally in the morning and evening.
Mandatory medical attention when symptoms of obstruction appear. This is refusal to eat with plenty of drink, lack of stool, or profuse diarrhea and vomiting. In advanced and complex cases, only surgery will help: opening the stomach and removing all the polyethylene. If surgery is not possible, the veterinarian will advise you to take the cow to slaughter.
This is due to the fact that it is no longer possible to save the animal, it will die a slow, painful and painful death.
Prevention
High-risk zones are pastures near highways, landfills, construction sites, from where garbage is spread throughout the area. Here the shepherds should be especially vigilant. If possible, it is best not to drive the herd into potentially hazardous fields. The only real preventive measure here is the daily manual collection of polyethylene waste.
At home backyards, containers and buckets of garbage should be as far away as possible. Give bales of hay without wrapping threads, feed without packaging. It is planned to give cows multivitamin complexes: eating waste and inedible products may be associated with a lack of trace elements in the body. It is important not to forget about regular visits to the veterinarian.
Plastic and cellophane bags are a real threat to cows, bulls and calves. The film does not dissolve in gastric juice, is not digested, and often becomes the cause of blockage or complete obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract. There is no cure or salvation for this problem. We can only hope for the best and carefully monitor the diet of animals.
