grain-sick
Definition
- Noun (Veterinary Medicine):
- Grass distension disease: "grain-sick" refers to a condition in livestock, particularly cattle or horses, caused by overconsumption of grain or lush grass, leading to bloating, discomfort, and potentially life-threatening distension of the rumen or stomach.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The farmer noticed the cow was suffering from grain-sick after it broke into the feed bin. (The animal had overeaten grain, causing stomach bloating.)
- Veterinarians treat grain-sick by relieving pressure from the rumen. (The condition is managed through medical intervention.)
Advanced Usage
- "to go grain-sick": to develop the condition of grain-sick.
- If a horse is allowed to graze too much on young clover, it may go grain-sick. (The horse may become ill from excessive grass consumption.)
Variants and Related Words
Grain (n): the seed of cereal plants like wheat, corn, or barley.
- The cattle were fed too much grain, causing grain-sick. (The seed was the cause of the illness.)
Sick (adj): affected by illness or nausea.
- The animal appeared sick with grain-sick. (It showed signs of discomfort from overeating.)
Synonyms
Bloat: a condition of excessive gas accumulation in the stomach, often in livestock.
- Grain-sick is a synonym for bloat in veterinary contexts. (Both terms describe the same digestive issue.)
Ruminal tympany: the medical term for bloat in ruminants.
- Ruminal tympany is the clinical name for grain-sick. (The formal diagnosis.)
Related Idioms
- "Sick as a horse": (informal) feeling very ill, often from overindulgence.
- After the cow ate too much corn, it was sick as a horse with grain-sick. (The animal was severely bloated and uncomfortable.)
Phrasal Verbs
- Sick up: (rare in veterinary use) to vomit or regurgitate.
- The vet tried to make the cow sick up some of the grain to relieve grain-sick. (Inducing regurgitation to reduce bloating.)