Pharyngeal trauma in dairy cattle: 27 cases

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Large Animal Surgery
• Bovine Medicine

Background:

• Pharyngeal trauma in cattle can lead to significant complications.
• Understanding clinical signs, treatment responses, and prognosis is vital for effective management.
• This study characterizes pharyngeal trauma in a bovine population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the signalment, history, clinicopathologic, endoscopic, ultrasonographic, radiographic, and postmortem findings.
• To detail treatments and outcomes for cattle diagnosed with pharyngeal perforation or trauma.
• To identify factors influencing prognosis in affected cattle.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of cattle medical records from 1995 to 2017.
• Inclusion criteria: cattle >1 month of age with pharyngeal perforation/trauma identified via oral or endoscopic examination.
• Data collected included signalment, clinical signs, diagnostic findings, treatments, and outcomes.

Main Results:

• Pharyngeal trauma occurred in 0.36% of cases, predominantly associated with bolus administration (89%).
• Common clinical signs included dysphagia, throatlatch swelling, and subcutaneous emphysema.
• Case fatality rate was 37%, with outcomes influenced by the nature of the foreign body (e.g., calcium salt boluses led to euthanasia).

Conclusions:

• Pharyngeal trauma is an uncommon but serious condition in cattle.
• Timely diagnosis and intervention significantly improve survival rates.
• The type of penetrating object is a critical determinant of prognosis.