Which of the following is a disease of the rumen?

• A. Ruminal tympany (bloat)
• B. Traumatic reticuloperitonitis
• C. Abomasal ulcers
• D. Vagal indigestion

Answer: (A)

Gas buildup in the rumen with an inability to eructate is a classic rumen-specific problem: ruminal tympany, or bloat. The rumen normally ferments feed and produces gas that’s expelled by belching. When eructation is blocked—either by foam formation on lush, rapid-forage diets or by a physical obstruction—the gas cannot escape, the rumen distends, breathing becomes labored, and the animal can deteriorate quickly. This tight link between gas accumulation and rumen function is why bloat is considered a disease of the rumen.

Traumatic reticuloperitonitis involves the reticulum and the abdominal cavity, usually from a swallowed foreign body causing inflammation or perforation, not a primary rumen distension. Abomasal ulcers occur in the abomasum, the fourth stomach, and reflect a lesion there rather than in the rumen. Vagal indigestion is a motility disorder stemming from vagus nerve impairment and can affect multiple compartments, but it is not a primary rumen disease.