A Case Report: Post-Mortem Pathological Observations of a Fresh Dairy Cow with Type 3 Abomasal Ulcer After Sudden Death
In dairy cattle, abomasal ulcers are a serious but sometimes disregarded ailment that can have detrimental effects on health and cause financial losses. Due to inconclusive clinical symptoms, abomasal ulcers are typically misdiagnosed and treated improperly. Specialized diagnostic methods should be...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Greta Šertvytytė Gabija Lembovičiūtė Osvaldas Rodaitis Karina Džermeikaitė Samanta Arlauskaitė Justina Krištolaitytė Akvilė Girdauskaitė Alius Pockevičius Arūnas Rutkauskas Ramūnas Antanaitis |
| author_facet | Greta Šertvytytė Gabija Lembovičiūtė Osvaldas Rodaitis Karina Džermeikaitė Samanta Arlauskaitė Justina Krištolaitytė Akvilė Girdauskaitė Alius Pockevičius Arūnas Rutkauskas Ramūnas Antanaitis |
| author_sort | Greta Šertvytytė |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In dairy cattle, abomasal ulcers are a serious but sometimes disregarded ailment that can have detrimental effects on health and cause financial losses. Due to inconclusive clinical symptoms, abomasal ulcers are typically misdiagnosed and treated improperly. Specialized diagnostic methods should be considered to ensure a correct diagnosis and the well-being of cattle. This report focuses on a 4-year-old Holstein-Friesian cow which began her third lactation two weeks before she started showing general clinical signs of an elevated fat–protein ratio in the milk and was diagnosed with an abomasum displacement. The clinical signs can also be mistaken for other conditions such as traumatic reticuloperitonitis and left dislocated abomasum. The patient was brought to the LUHS Large Animal Clinic, and after a short while, sudden death occurred. The autopsy concluded that death had occurred due to hypovolemic shock caused by abomasal ulcer perforation, which caused bleeding into the abomasum and intestines. Also, the type 3 ulcer caused severe peritonitis and anemia, and feed and fibrin could be seen on the outside of organs in the abdomen. Blood clots mixed with feed had formed in the inside of the abomasum and intestinal tract. Based on the work of previous scientific studies, it has been established that the occurrence of ulcers is more frequent in dairy cows during the first four to six weeks of lactation. And the most probable cause could be intensive feeding and dietary changes. Ulcers in the abomasum are very difficult to diagnose, because they require special diagnostic equipment such as an ultrasound or surgical interventions. Due to the similarity with other diseases, this pathological condition of the abomasum is most frequently only identified in post-mortem examinations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-596027bf4d0c4ebda132eae3bebd7c7e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-596027bf4d0c4ebda132eae3bebd7c7e2025-08-20T03:28:34ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-07-011513196910.3390/ani15131969A Case Report: Post-Mortem Pathological Observations of a Fresh Dairy Cow with Type 3 Abomasal Ulcer After Sudden DeathGreta Šertvytytė0Gabija Lembovičiūtė1Osvaldas Rodaitis2Karina Džermeikaitė3Samanta Arlauskaitė4Justina Krištolaitytė5Akvilė Girdauskaitė6Alius Pockevičius7Arūnas Rutkauskas8Ramūnas Antanaitis9Large Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, LithuaniaLarge Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, LithuaniaLarge Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, LithuaniaLarge Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, LithuaniaLarge Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, LithuaniaLarge Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, LithuaniaLarge Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, LithuaniaDepartment of Veterinary Pathobiology, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, LithuaniaLarge Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, LithuaniaLarge Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, LithuaniaIn dairy cattle, abomasal ulcers are a serious but sometimes disregarded ailment that can have detrimental effects on health and cause financial losses. Due to inconclusive clinical symptoms, abomasal ulcers are typically misdiagnosed and treated improperly. Specialized diagnostic methods should be considered to ensure a correct diagnosis and the well-being of cattle. This report focuses on a 4-year-old Holstein-Friesian cow which began her third lactation two weeks before she started showing general clinical signs of an elevated fat–protein ratio in the milk and was diagnosed with an abomasum displacement. The clinical signs can also be mistaken for other conditions such as traumatic reticuloperitonitis and left dislocated abomasum. The patient was brought to the LUHS Large Animal Clinic, and after a short while, sudden death occurred. The autopsy concluded that death had occurred due to hypovolemic shock caused by abomasal ulcer perforation, which caused bleeding into the abomasum and intestines. Also, the type 3 ulcer caused severe peritonitis and anemia, and feed and fibrin could be seen on the outside of organs in the abdomen. Blood clots mixed with feed had formed in the inside of the abomasum and intestinal tract. Based on the work of previous scientific studies, it has been established that the occurrence of ulcers is more frequent in dairy cows during the first four to six weeks of lactation. And the most probable cause could be intensive feeding and dietary changes. Ulcers in the abomasum are very difficult to diagnose, because they require special diagnostic equipment such as an ultrasound or surgical interventions. Due to the similarity with other diseases, this pathological condition of the abomasum is most frequently only identified in post-mortem examinations.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/13/1969type 3 perforated ulcerabomasumdairy cattlesudden deathautopsy |
| spellingShingle | Greta Šertvytytė Gabija Lembovičiūtė Osvaldas Rodaitis Karina Džermeikaitė Samanta Arlauskaitė Justina Krištolaitytė Akvilė Girdauskaitė Alius Pockevičius Arūnas Rutkauskas Ramūnas Antanaitis A Case Report: Post-Mortem Pathological Observations of a Fresh Dairy Cow with Type 3 Abomasal Ulcer After Sudden Death Animals type 3 perforated ulcer abomasum dairy cattle sudden death autopsy |
| title | A Case Report: Post-Mortem Pathological Observations of a Fresh Dairy Cow with Type 3 Abomasal Ulcer After Sudden Death |
| title_full | A Case Report: Post-Mortem Pathological Observations of a Fresh Dairy Cow with Type 3 Abomasal Ulcer After Sudden Death |
| title_fullStr | A Case Report: Post-Mortem Pathological Observations of a Fresh Dairy Cow with Type 3 Abomasal Ulcer After Sudden Death |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Case Report: Post-Mortem Pathological Observations of a Fresh Dairy Cow with Type 3 Abomasal Ulcer After Sudden Death |
| title_short | A Case Report: Post-Mortem Pathological Observations of a Fresh Dairy Cow with Type 3 Abomasal Ulcer After Sudden Death |
| title_sort | case report post mortem pathological observations of a fresh dairy cow with type 3 abomasal ulcer after sudden death |
| topic | type 3 perforated ulcer abomasum dairy cattle sudden death autopsy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/13/1969 |
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