Two approaches to LDA surgery....yesterday, Sunni operated on 2 cows at the one farm. Sunni’s approach is cow standing; right flank; enjoying her work; big grin.....1/....

2/.....my approach last week; cow in her back; right paramedian; making it look hard; big grimace...

3/... both cows are doing well. Both approaches work (skinning a cat etc), and with most surgery the best results are when you do the approach you are more familiar and experienced with

4/...an LDA = left displaced abomasum. The 4th stomach gets tucked behind the rumen. Almost always in first few weeks after calving; in a cow that has lots of space inside (no calf left); possibly gone off her food for a wee while- the abomasum May get light and gassy and lift...

5/...then it’s just luck whether it lifts up the right hand side and falls back down, or up the left and gets stuck. Not fatal but not good. Uncommon in NZ - in the UK we’d each see and do a few a week; but we suspect likely happens in 1 every 2 cows and is simply underdiagnosed

6/...approaches? Sunnis is possibly easier on the cow; but can be v hard to manhandle the abo back round; on their back requires sedation (not good in suck cow) but abo often rises into place. In both cases we stitch the abo to the muscle wall and cow is normally fine

7/... worth noting in these ‘anti-NZfarming’ times, that an LDA is rare in NZ, due to our system. But in places like Canada, it’s so common surgery is often performed routinely post calving to prevent it! Another example where our animal welfare is way ahead, but we don’t tell

8/...which leads to my bandwagon- animal welfare can always be better- like parenting- but we actually do bloody well in NZ. What we DONT do well is measure it and tell everyone how good it is. Our disease incidence is v low - but we don’t have the data to tell the story!!