A Clinical Insight into Emergency Surgeries in Ruminants

Emergency surgical conditions in farm animals can be defined as a condition requiring immediate attention and treatment. Surgical condition might be chronic but may demand emergency treatment if the clinical signs are life threatening. Major trauma from a fall or an accident, leading to shock is a real emergency requiring immediate attention. Intestinal evisceration, complete uterine prolapse may be corrected/animal life saved if surgery is performed within 6–8 hours. Cases such as uterine rupture, diaphragmatic hernia showing profuse regurgitation can be saved even if they are operated at an earliest. Ruminants which can not raise their head, show poor tail reflex and lateral recumbency due to bladder rupture of more than 7 days or due to intusussception, bloat, dystocia of more than 36 hours, oesophageal obstruction of more than 5 days can not be saved even with emergency surgery. Opthalmic emergencies includes corneal perforation which can be treated with corneal suturing. However, vision is compromised. Emergencies of horn include horn fracture at the base as it may lead to sinusitis in bullocks having massive horns. Primary dehorning is an emergency treatment for such cases. Cervical oesophagatomy is 100% successful in large ruminants even though cases are presented after 4 days if correct techniques are followed. Rumenotomy and pericardiotomy can not save the cases of traumatic pericarditis due to cardiac damage. However rumenotomy is effective in many cases of traumatic reticuloperitonitis, if foreign body is removed from the rumen. Diaphragamatic herniorraphy in buffaloes under local analgesia can save atleast 20% of the cases but the technique is diffiicult in the absence of ventilator. Urethrotomy is successful in over 50%of the cases if bladder is not ruptured. Bladder repair and urethrotomy have more guarded prognosis. Teat splitting and teat fistula repair are examples for emergency teat surgeries. Tracheostomy can be employed to save many cases of acute haemorrhagic septicaemia. Emergency surgery has economic significance in animal husbandry and every institution has to set up an emergency team.