Les affections des voies digestives supérieures

Résumé

L’anatomie en particulier topographique et les principales fonctions du rumen (réservoir d’aliments, dégradation des fibres végétales par le microbiote, motricité en rapport avec la rumination, l’éructation, le brassage, absorption des produits terminaux de la fermentation) permettent de comprendre et d’interpréter les principales modifications qui surviennent lors d’affections du rumen dans une finalité de diagnostic médical.

Abstract

The upper digestive tract performs the first steps in digestion and any problem affecting it results in dysorexia which can lead to anorexia. The precise diagnosis, when the problem involves the pharynx or oesophagus, is rarely possible without the use of additional examinations which are available to the practitioner (endoscopy). Stomatitis can be triggered by many causes (local or infectious problems) and the circumstances of onset as well as close examination can help in the diagnosis. The involvement of dentition is often overlooked in the differential diagnosis of chronic weight loss in adult cattle and knowledge of the dates of eruption of the permanent teeth and the examination of the molars and premolars can be useful in this context. Chewing disorders can also be observed with muscle, nerve or skeletal damage (fractures, arthritis, infection). Finally, swallowing may be more difficult during trauma or nerve damage affecting the way the pharynx and/or the oesophagus function.