Digestive Problems
Cows & Buffaloes
Rumen Impaction — When Straw and Little Water Jam the Stomach
Updated 07 Oct 2026 • By Falah Nutrition Desk, Animal Nutrition Advisor
In late winter, when the green is long gone and animals live on chopped straw and dry grass, a cow can slowly pack her rumen with dry, coarse fibre until it stops moving. Rumen impaction builds over days, and the cause is almost always the same pair: too much dry roughage, too little water.
Common Signs
- Appetite falling over several days, not overnight
- Dung small, hard and dark, then almost none
- Left flank feels firm and doughy, and a push leaves a dent that stays
- Cud chewing slows, then stops
- Animal dull, slightly bloated on the left but not tight like gas bloat
- Milk dropping steadily
Possible Causes
- A diet that is nearly all straw or old hay with no concentrate or green
- Ice-cold water, or water offered only once a day, so intake drops in winter
- Sudden switch to coarse, long-cut straw after a season of green
- No mineral mixture or salt, which reduces the urge to drink
- Old animals with worn teeth that cannot chew fibre fine enough
What the Farmer Should Check
- How much water is actually drunk per day, and is it lukewarm in cold weather?
- Is the straw chaffed short, and is any concentrate or green added to it?
- Press the left flank: doughy and dented, or tight like a drum?
- When did the dung last pass, and what did it look like?
- Is salt available daily so the animal wants to drink?
Feed Guidance
Prevention is a balanced winter ration with water to match. Straw alone is filler; pair it with a measured compound feed so the rumen has energy and protein to ferment the fibre — GOKA Green is built for exactly the no-green months, and GOKA Star or GOKA Smile suit milking animals on a straw base. Chaff straw short, wet it if the animal accepts that, and offer lukewarm water at least twice a day with free salt. If impaction has already started, reduce the straw, give soft green or soaked bran in small amounts, keep water in front of her all day, and involve your veterinary doctor early — a packed rumen may need medicines to get moving.
Relevant GOKA Products
Dairy Cows & Buffaloes
Under 15 liters/day
Best when green fodder is scarce
Dairy Cows & Buffaloes
12-18 liters/day
NDF-rich feed for healthy digestion
Dairy Cows & Buffaloes
10-15 liters/day
Maintains milk fat, prevents repeat breeding
When to Contact a Veterinary Doctor
A cow that has not passed dung for a day and has a doughy left flank needs a veterinary doctor: rumen stimulants, fluids or in severe cases emptying the rumen are vet procedures. Do not drench oil by force without advice.
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