LEXINGTON, Ky. — With the early warm weather has come an early arrival of lush white clover, something that may be nice to look at but can cause big problems for cattle producers.

The University of Kentucky (UK) Veterinary Diagnostic Lab has released information informing producers that cases of bloat in cattle are being seen earlier than normal; about 20 days earlier, to be exact. In the last 30 days, 15 cases of ruminal tympany (frothy bloat) have been confirmed.

The condition is caused by ingestion of young vegetative legumes, most commonly related to white clover, but bloat can also be caused by alfalfa and red clover, according to information from UK.

Dr. Michelle Arnold, the ruminant extension veterinarian at the Diagnostic Lab, said the number of cases isn’t necessarily more than what is seen each year but they are coming about three weeks early, something she attributes to the weather.

“We had to get the information out to producers much earlier so they could get their bloat control blocks out,” she said. “We usually see (the condition) starting somewhere around mid-March and it goes to about the end of April. This year we started about the end of February.”

Arnold also said even though the cases seen so far are not abnormal, those are only cases seen at the lab. Other incidences are likely handled at local veterinarian offices. She added that bloat, or frothy bloat due to ingesting clover, is normally only seen at a certain time of year when the plants are immature and tender, when it is of concern.

While the condition can sometimes prove to be fatal, Arnold said if it is caught in time or suspected it can be treated. Bloat is an emergency situation and a local veterinarian should be contacted quickly to administer treatment.

First, producers can go on the defense by examining their pastures. Those containing more than 50 percent clover or legumes should be considered at-risk pastures, according to Arnold.

“Producers can offer anti-foaming surfactants such as poloxalene in the form of bloat blocks (typically one block per five cows), which will go into the rumen and break down the foam so the gas can be released,” she said. “It also comes in a granular form that can be mixed in with the feed or mineral. Ionophores such as monensin are also effective at reducing bloat in high-risk situations.

“A couple of other things you can do: Don’t let the animals into the pasture first thing in the morning when the dew is on, or right after rain. When (the plants) are wet it tends to be worse in terms of bloat problems. 

The second thing you can do is offer hay. Have them eat hay, for instance, in the morning, then they won’t eat as much clover when turned into the field.”

Arnold said probably the worst thing to do is turn a hungry animal out in a wet field of clover – not only will the animal be eating it at a time it shouldn’t, but it will be overeating. “Anything you can do to slow that intake down is helpful,” she said.

In recognizing the condition, there are symptoms to look for in the animal. According to information from UK: “The main symptom of bloat is a swollen left abdomen. Other symptoms include repetitive standing up and lying down, kicking at the belly, frequent defecation and urination, grunting and extension of the neck and head.”

While clover, especially this time of year, can cause problems, farmers should not go out and dig up their pastures to get rid it. Arnold said the benefits of clover can far outweigh the concerns.

“This problem is usually short-lived, just a few weeks in the spring when it is immature,” she said. “Otherwise, clover offers so many benefits. It has so much protein, it’s great for weight gain and enhanced reproduction. We have so many problems with fescue toxicosis, when you put clover in the pasture that cuts down on the amount of fescue consumed – so it has tremendous benefits.”

Arnold pointed out in addition to being good for the animals, clover can be good for the soil.

“Clover, because it’s a legume, puts nitrogen into the soil. So you are getting fertilizer, basically that the clover is producing and it feeds the grass and is a whole lot cheaper than buying (fertilizer) by the truck load,” she said.

Arnold also said for those cattle producers raising a grass-fed animal, one of the ways to get them to finish is to get a high protein forage into their diet, like that found in clovers and legumes.

More information on bloat can be found in UK Cooperative Extension Service publication ID-186, Managing Legume-Induced Bloat in Cattle, at www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/id/id186/id186.pdf or by contacting a county extension office.