Case report: clinical and postmortem findings in four cows with rib fracture

Published reports of rib fractures in adult cattle are limited to the occurrence of chronic rib swellings caused by calluses, which are unremarkable from a clinical standpoint, whereas studies identifying clinical signs of rib fractures were not found in a literature search. This report describes the clinical and postmortem findings in four cows with rib fractures.

The 13th rib was fractured in three cows and the 11th rib in the remaining cow; three fractures were on the right and one on the left side. Clinical and postmortem findings varied considerably, and percussion of the rib cage elicited a pain response in only one cow. One cow had generalised peritonitis because of perforation of the rumen by the fractured rib. One cow was recumbent because of pain and became a downer cow, and two other cows had bronchopneumonia, which was a sequel to osteomyelitis of the fracture site in one. In the absence of a history of trauma, the diagnosis of rib fracture based on clinical signs alone is difficult.

Although rib fractures undoubtedly are very painful, the four cases described in this report suggest that they are difficult to diagnose in cattle because associated clinical signs are nonspecific.