Which statement correctly distinguishes free-gas bloat from frothy bloat?

• A. Both are caused by dehydration
• B. Free-gas bloat occurs after milk intake; frothy bloat after exercise
• C. Free-gas bloat results from an inability to eructate gas; frothy bloat forms stable foam that traps gas
• D. Free-gas bloat occurs only at high altitude; frothy bloat only in feedlot cattle

Answer: (C)

The key idea is how gas is kept inside the rumen. In free-gas bloat, the animal cannot eructate gas, usually because of a blockage or a problem with the eructation reflex, so gas simply accumulates as free gas in the rumen. In frothy bloat, the gas is present too, but it’s trapped in a stable foam formed by the ingested feed and rumen contents, so the gas can’t escape even though eructation might occur. That foam makes the bloat resistant to normal belching and requires different treatment: releasing the gas from the rumen with a tube or trocar for free-gas bloat, or using foam-dissolving agents (like poloxalene) and other measures to break the foam for frothy bloat. The statement captures this essential distinction: free-gas bloat results from an inability to eructate gas; frothy bloat forms stable foam that traps gas.