Irish veterinarians are experiencing an undesirable side effect of the falling price of potatoes – drunk bulls.
County Meath-based veterinarian Peadar O’Scanaill explained:
The rumen of a bull is a large fermentation vat where the starch of the potatoes mixed with its sugars, turns into alcohol.
In the first case I dealt with I was called out when the bull had fallen on his side and was badly bloated. The rumen could not handle the change of diet and normal gas release did not happen.
He was drunk or very badly hungover or both and I had to put a tube down the nose to release the gas pressure on the rumen.
Aside from enduring the nose fart, O’Scanaill also faced the daunting prospect of rehydrating the 800kg beast with 80 liters of liquid when all of the water pipes were frozen.
The second inebriated bull that he dealt with was drunk after breaking into a potato shed and gorging itself on the contents. A potato stuck in its throat was preventing the release of gas – removing the potato solved the problem.
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