Background: Traumatic reticulitis (TR) and abomasal obstruction are common digestive diseases in beef cattle. In clinical practice, these two conditions are often detected alone and rarely occur at the same time. Surgical therapy is an effective approach to treat both of these diseases. However, there are no reports on the treatment of abomasal obstruction in cattle induced by TR.
Case description: We here report a rare case of the diagnosis and treatment of TR associated with abomasal obstruction in a beef cow during late pregnancy. The affected cattle had an iron wire that was piercing the wall of the reticulum, but did not penetrate the wall; the abomasum was blocked and appeared solid; and the fetus survived well in utero (268 days gestation). To save the lives of the cow and fetus on the same day, a cesarean section was first performed, followed by rumenotomy, the foreign body (wire) was removed, and abomasotomy was finally performed. The fetus removed by cesarean section grew well, and the beef cow recovered and successfully became pregnant again.
Conclusion: This case thus offers guidance for the timely diagnosis, effective treatment, and postoperative management of these digestive diseases in cattle to prevent progression and further complications.
Keywords: Abomasal obstruction; Beef cattle; Cesarean section; Late pregnancy; Traumatic reticulitis.