Displaced abomasum (DA) represents a group of pathological events due to smooth muscle atony, gas and fluid accumulation following displacement of the abomasum from its normal ventral position on the abdominal floor
1,2. Left or right displacement of the abomasum is one of the most important metabolic and organic internal disorders of cattle and the disease is most prevalant in high performing milk breeds
3,4.
DA is one of the most frequent causes of surgery in dairy cattle and various surgical approaches have been developed 1,5. Throughout the literature, several different methods of surgical correction have been proposed. The most accepted methods are right side laparatomy with concurrent caudoventral omentopexy, left side laparatomy with concurrent ventral omentopexy, Ljubljana method and toggle suture 6,7.
Despite favorable prognosis, surgery is not economically feasible in many cases. All operative techniques have their inherent advantages and disadvantages. The potential drawbacks of laparotomy include recurrence, local or diffuse peritonitis, incisional infection, incisional dehiscence, abomasal fistulation, duration of procedure, costs and milk loss as a result of administration of antimicrobials. Recurrence of abomasal displacement in dairy cattle was determined to be the most common reason to perform a second surgery 6.
Zeolite mineral selectively adsorb such gases as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, water vapor, oxygen, nitrogen, formaldehyde, and others. It also purifies the methane gas produced by the anaerobic digestion of manure. Natural zeolites also possess a high affinity for water and have the capability of adsorbing and desorbing it without damage to the crystal structure. It also acts as adsorbent of toxins in the digestive system 8.
Based on this knowledge, we thought that use of zeolite can be useful in the treatment of displaced abomasum. The objective of the current research is the assessment of the clinical efficacy of zeolite mineral used orally in the treatment of right and left DA in cattle.