Surgery of the bovine rumen

Abstract

Rumenotomy and rumenostomy are commonly performed surgical procedures in cattle to relieve a variety of conditions affecting the bovine forestomachs, including hardware disease, foreign body ingestion, choke, and bloat. The location of the rumen against the left body wall makes it a convenient access point for proximal GI structures in the bovid, including the reticulum, the reticulo-omasal orifice, and the rumen itself. Although rumen surgery is commonly performed by veterinarians in both referral settings and in the field, few studies have focused on surgery of the rumen. In particular, long-term outcomes of rumen surgery in cattle have not been examined. The last retrospective study on rumen surgery, published in 1950, suggested a short-term success rate of 35/50 (70%), with 12/50 (24%) of animals dying within one month of the surgical procedure. The primary objectives of this study were to evaluate indications and outcomes (both short- and long-term) of rumenotomy and rumenostomy in cattle.