Intestinal obstruction (Ileus) corresponds to the complete or partial arrest of the progression of solids, liquids, or gases in the alimentary canal. It can affect both young and adult animals and always represents a difficult challenge for the field bovine practitioner:
in fact, the time available to intervene successfully is limited. Based on the symptoms that allow us to make a diagnosis and a prognosis, we must be able to opt for medical therapy, surgery, or referral for emergency slaughter.
The causes can be multiple, but from an etiopathogenetic point of view, we distinguish two groups of ileus:
1) Mechanical ileus, due to the presence of a physical obstacle: from strangulation (torsions, volvulus, intussusceptions, incarcerations), kinking (adhesions, flexions), compression (abscesses, gallbladder, gravid uterus, tumors, obstruction (fecalomas, blood clots, foreign bodies, tumors), stenosis (atresias or congenital ageneses).
2) Dynamic or paralytic ileus, due to a diffuse blockage of intestinal peristalsis: from inflammation, infections, trauma, metabolic imbalances, or drugs.
