ABOSOMAL DISPLACEMENT AND ABOSOMAL VOLVULUS IN CATTLE   3000w

Abomasal displacement in cattle is the irregular positioning of an abomasum in the abdominal cavity. This paper aims to detail the factors that lead to the 2 types of displacements, left and right abomasal displacement (LDA and RDA) and the intervention and prevention of this disease complex. The prevalence of LDA is to RDA is significantly higher (Stengärde and Pehrson 2002).

Cattle are ruminants that feed on diets rich in cellulose and fiber, and they have a complex 4 chambered stomach. In an adult cattle, the rumen is the first chamber and fills up most of the abdominal cavity. It lies on the body wall on the left side of the abdomen while the rumen ventral sac stretches right of the midline. The reticulum, connected to the rumen, lies on the diaphragm. The third chamber, the omasum, is located on the right side of the cranial rumen and dorsal to the cranial area of the abomasum. The final chamber, the abomasum, is located on the right side of the rumen and lies on the ventral wall of the abdomen while the craniodorsal part of the abomasum is located in the area between the omasum and rumen.

In the normal digestive process, the abomasum of the cattle is the 4th and final stomach and lies on the abdominal floor. The position of the abomasum will differ depending on the abomasal activity, rumen and reticulum contraction, stage of pregnancy, age, and the distention of the 3 other chambers of the stomach. The cranial part of the abomasum is separated into the body and pylorus while the caudal part is covered with the lesser omentum. Food is pushed through the pylorus via peristalsis. The output of digestive material to the duodenum is controlled by the pyloric sphincter. To prevent the reflux of digestive material into the omasum, the abomasum has folds at the proximal ends. The abomasum’s main purpose is for enzymatic digestion, similar to a monogastric stomach. The abomasum secretes hydrochloric acid and pepsinogen for the acid hydrolysis of microbial and dietary protein. In the small intestine, these proteins will be further digested and absorbed. The displacement of the abomasum occurs when the abomasum fills up with gas and r