Which of the following is an antifoaming agent used to treat frothy bloat?

• A. Poloxalene
• B. Penicillin
• C. Vitamin C
• D. Copper sulfate

Answer: (A)

Frothy bloat happens when ruminant stomach gas gets trapped in a stable foam, so the animal can’t eructate the gas. To relieve this, you use antifoaming agents that act as surface-active compounds, coating the bubbles and lowering surface tension so the foam collapses and gas can escape.

Poloxalene is a nonionic surfactant used specifically to treat frothy bloat. It disrupts and destabilizes the foam in the rumen, allowing bubbles to coalesce and the animal to belch freely. That makes it the proper choice for this condition.

The other options aren’t antifoaming agents: penicillin is an antibiotic, vitamin C is an antioxidant with no foam-disrupting action, and copper sulfate is a mineral supplement with different uses.