Vagal indigestion in Zebu cattle in Brazil

Abstract

Vagal indigestion or “Hoflund Syndrome” is a disease characterized by the dysfunction of the tenth pair of cranial nerves that causes changes in stomach motility. In the present study, the clinic-pathological tests were performed on three pasture-raised Zebu cattle suspected of vagal indigestion. The epidemiological data were obtained on three properties; two of them  located in the northeastern part of Pará state, and the other located in Açailândia municipality in Maranhão state. The predominant clinical symptoms were apathy, dehydration, dry feces or diarrhea, changes in rumen motility, and bilateral distension (both the dorsal and ventral region were distended on the left side, but only the ventral region was distended on the right side). A positive atropine test confirmed the clinical suspicion of vagal indigestion in the three cases. Necropsies on two of the animals confirmed that an adhesion of the reticulum to the diaphragm was the cause of the vagal nerve damage observed.

Key words: Vagal lesion, Hoflund syndrome, Pará, Maranhão