Recent research by the Michigan State University Animal and Dairy Science staff involved 1170 holstein cows from 67 high producing herds.

Displaced abomasum is a common disease in high producing dairy herds. Financial losses can range from $256 to $406 per case. If undiagnosed or complications from surgery should result and death occurs, naturally the loss can be very significant.

Factors & Facts to consider.

1. About 7% of cows get a DA
2. Cows or heifers giving birth to twins have a 11-12% incidence.
3. Decrease dry matter intake (DMI) from various causes as:
   1. High body condition score (BCS) those with 4.0 or greater have a 50% incidence.
   2. Improper feed bunk management
   3. High environmental temperatures
   4. Low quality feeds, lack of bunk space and lack of fresh feed.
   5. Rapid change in dry, pre and post partum rations.
   6. Ketosis, Metritis, or any disease that affects feed intake.
   7. Cows with milk fever and retained placenta are all good candidates for DA's because of decreased energy and dry matter intake, less rumen fill which reduces fore stomach and abomasal mobility.
   8. Genetic traits for high production increase the preponderance of DA's.
   9. Increase in the hormone estrogen occurs before calving, which can reduce feed intake. This tends to promote feed selection by the cow, in which she will tend to pick out and eat forages and leave concentrates. This preference for forages causes prefresh cows fed TMR's which contain higher levels of concentrates to possibly have an even higher rate of DA's due to decreased rumen volume. Also increased levels of concentrates can lead to rumen acidosis, which in turn will decrease appetite. Keeping dry matter intake as high as possible is a key in DA prevention.
   10. The fewer changes from dry to prefresh to milk cow diets there are, the lower the incidence of DA's.
   11. Selenium, an essential trace mineral, involved with normal muscle tone or function of the cardiac, skeletal and smooth muscle in the body should be maintained at optimal levels at all times.