As some of you will remember, I worked on a farm for a few years while in high school. I actually learned a lot about life in general and also from being around 13 other men, I grew up quicker than some others my age. A young man being around much older men can teach the younger one a lot about a lot of things in life that he may have no knowledge about. Some good, some not so good.
I was watching one of the Veterinarian shows on TV over the weekend and it brought to mind something that I was able to witness as a young farm hand. Our one milking cow, who gave birth maybe a few months earlier, was diagnosed with an LDA or what is commonly called a twisted stomach. As most folks are aware, a cow’s stomach is made up of 4 chambers with the 4th chamber being called the abomasum. (It’s pronounced just as it’s spelled.)
In the show, the older Vet, did what he calls a flip and stitch. He lays the cow down, rolls her onto her back, flicks her abomasum until he hears a pinging sound and then inserts a rather large needle into it and ties it off on the outside of the cow. What I saw with our vet was something much more invasive. The Vet stood the cow straight up and then he flicked her side to hear the ping and then he cut her on the outside about 10 inches long and opened her up like a long slit. Then, he stuck his hand inside the slit and moved the abomasum to the point where it needed to be and then sewed her shut. Actually, IMO, the old Vet’s method that he had done on TV would have been the better way. Less invasive and it should prevent another twist.
Either way, the cow was back to normal by evening and eating. However, the older Vet’s method by tying the abomasum to the outside of the cow, probably all but assured that the cow’s stomach would not twist again. I never seen nothing like that. It was an amazing thing to watch. The Vet explained to me before the surgery that the abomasum had filled up with gas. These gases can actually cause a cow’s death. This is what he hears when he listens for the ping. I asked Randy, the boss, how he knew it was a twisted stomach. He said that he wasn’t 100% positive, but her milk production was way off what it had been and that’s usually a sign of an LDA.
Interesting, huh?
I was watching one of the Veterinarian shows on TV over the weekend and it brought to mind something that I was able to witness as a young farm hand. Our one milking cow, who gave birth maybe a few months earlier, was diagnosed with an LDA or what is commonly called a twisted stomach. As most folks are aware, a cow’s stomach is made up of 4 chambers with the 4th chamber being called the abomasum. (It’s pronounced just as it’s spelled.)
In the show, the older Vet, did what he calls a flip and stitch. He lays the cow down, rolls her onto her back, flicks her abomasum until he hears a pinging sound and then inserts a rather large needle into it and ties it off on the outside of the cow. What I saw with our vet was something much more invasive. The Vet stood the cow straight up and then he flicked her side to hear the ping and then he cut her on the outside about 10 inches long and opened her up like a long slit. Then, he stuck his hand inside the slit and moved the abomasum to the point where it needed to be and then sewed her shut. Actually, IMO, the old Vet’s method that he had done on TV would have been the better way. Less invasive and it should prevent another twist.
Either way, the cow was back to normal by evening and eating. However, the older Vet’s method by tying the abomasum to the outside of the cow, probably all but assured that the cow’s stomach would not twist again. I never seen nothing like that. It was an amazing thing to watch. The Vet explained to me before the surgery that the abomasum had filled up with gas. These gases can actually cause a cow’s death. This is what he hears when he listens for the ping. I asked Randy, the boss, how he knew it was a twisted stomach. He said that he wasn’t 100% positive, but her milk production was way off what it had been and that’s usually a sign of an LDA.
Interesting, huh?
