Right abomasum shift: Case report

Abstract

Dairy activity is constantly developing and more and more producers are looking for better productive results, however, the genetic selection and nutritional management that are adopted make cows more susceptible to developing diseases. Abomasum shift is the most frequent pathology of the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants, representing the main cause of abdominal surgery in high-producing milk cows. The main causes are related to food management in the transition phase, where the supply of a diet rich in energy, highly fermentable, and deficient in fiber occurs, among others. Clinical signs include loss of appetite, sharp drop in milk production, blackish-colored diarrhea, apathy, dehydration, ruminal tympanism with absent or diminished motility, the sound of liquid at the right flank, metallic sound at percussion, and more severe cases, die. The diagnosis is made through anamnesis in addition to a detailed clinical examination, which allows the auscultation of a metallic-tympanic sound in the abomasum called “ping”. The treatments described in the literature are varied and there are conservative and surgical methods. The choice of technique depends on the financial condition of the producer and / or the economic value of the cow, however, surgical intervention is necessary in most cases. Therefore, the present article aims to describe a case of displacement of the right abomasum in a high-yielding dairy cow with a recent history of abortion. Treatment was chosen using the surgical technique of abomasopexy with laparotomy on the right flank with the animal in station.