TRICHOBEZOAR (HAIRBALL FORMATION) IN CALVES

Abstract

: Trichobezoar is the hairball formation in an animal's stomach, most commonly found in the young animal due to ingestion of body hair. The Dairy farm located at Samrang under Bhutan Livestock Development Corporation Limited had recorded the mortality of 28 pre-weaned calves due to hairball formation in the rumen. The calves died with distinct symptoms such as high respiration, distended abdomen, off-feed, recumbent, and vomiting. During the post-mortem examination, the rumen was found with various sizes of hairballs and clumps of body hairs.  Based on the information documented for four years from 2019-2022, it indicates that overcrowding, group housing, indoor feeding, and lack of fiber in the calf diet were the main causes of body licking, ingestion of body hair, and hair-ball formation in the rumen.  The intervention of efficient farm operation and management is suggested to reduce the risk of hairball formation in young calves. The findings from the present study did not address how each cause of body licking contributes to hairball formation in calves.  Therefore, an in-depth and detailed study on each identified cause of body licking is recommended for future study.