Blood Inflammatory, Hydro-Electrolytes and Acid-Base Changes in Belgian Blue Cows Developing Parietal Fibrinous Peritonitis or Generalised Peritonitis after Caesarean Section

Abstract

This study aimed to describe the inflammation, hydro-electrolyte and acid-base imbalances caused by generalised peritonitis (GP) and parietal fibrinous peritonitis (PFP) after caesarean section. After clinical examination, blood was sampled from 11 cows with PFP, 30 with GP and 14 healthy cows. Serum and plasma refractometry and glutaraldehyde tests were used to evaluate the inflammation level, while hydro-electrolytes and acid-base parameters were assessed using an EPOC® device. In addition to clinical signs of dehydration (>10%), blood analysis showed a high fibrinogen concentration (PFP: 8.64 ± 8.82 g/L; GP: 7.83 ± 2.45 g/L) and fast glutaraldehyde coagulation (<3 min) indicative of severe inflammation in both diseases compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Moreover, a severe decrease in electrolytes concentration (Na+: 126.93 ± 5.79 mmol/L; K+: 3.7 ± 1.3 mmol/L; Ca++: 0.89 ± 0.12 mmol/L; Cl−: 82.38 ± 6.45 mmol/L) and a significant increase in bicarbonate (30.87 ± 8.16 mmol/L), base excess (5.71 ± 7.42 mmol/l), L-lactate (8.1 ± 4.85 mmol/L) and creatinine (3.53 ± 2.30 mg/dL) were observed in cows with GP compared to the control group (p < 0.05). In contrast, few major perturbations were noticed in PFP, where only K+ (3.64 ± 0.25 mmol/L) and Ca++ (1.06 ± 0.09 mmol/L) were significantly modified (p < 0.05). In conclusion, a high dehydration and severe inflammation are induced by PFP and GP. Nevertheless, GP causes more electrolytes and acid-base disturbances than PFP.

Hematologic and Serum Biochemical Characteristics of Belgian Blue Cattle

“…Total proteins were not significantly different (p > 0.05) in BB cows compared with HF cows, which is consistent with previously reported data [32,33]. However, there were significantly higher total globulins and lower albumin concentrations in BB cows compared with HF cows (p < 0.001), resulting in a significantly lower A/G ratio (p < 0.001).…”

“…These breed-specific differences may reflect a higher oxygenation need in animals with an increased muscle mass. This being said, as shown in Figure 4, the RBC reference intervals generated for BB cows and HF cows overlap widely and also overlap with recently published reference intervals [10,32] (with the exception of MCHC and RDW), questioning the clinical utility of using specific reference intervals for these parameters.…”

Bacterial Contamination of the Surgical Site at the Time of Elective Caesarean Section in Belgian Blue Cows—Part 1: Identified by Bacterial Culture

“…Despite the high amount of elective CS performed each year in Belgium [3,4], and the great risk of post-operative complications [5][6][7]10,25], there are no evidence-based guidelines concerning the prophylactic antibiotic treatment during the realisation of elective CS. This study presents the largest and most recent dataset concerning bacterial contamination during the CS realisation.…”

Blood gases, acid‐base, and metabolic alterations in calves with bronchopneumonia diagnosed via clinical signs and thoracic ultrasonography: A cross‐sectional study

“…After the procedure, the needle was removed from the artery and closed with a rubber stopper. The syringe was not disconnected from the butterfly needle until the blood gas analysis had been immediately carried out on farm using an automated blood gas analyzer (EPOC Vet, Epocal Inc, Ottawa, Canada) commonly used in cattle practice 19,20 that directly measures or calculates several variables (https:// www.woodleyequipment.com/docs/user_guide_english.pdf). The samples were processed following the manufacturer's guidelines.…”