Clinical diagnosis of allotrophagia in cattle of the department of Sucre Colombia

The objective of this study was to analyze and describe the clinical characteristics of 17 cases of allotrophagia in calves of both sexes and ages between 14 and 25 months of age from the municipality of the union, Sucre, Colombia, between January And April in the period from 2005 to 2016. A general clinical and special digestive examination was performed, with similar clinical manifestations in all animals, which consisted of evidence of poor body condition, anemia and edema in the jowl, as well as increased volume in the lower left quadrant of the abdomen, when performing movements of succussion and percussion of the abdomen was evidenced the presence of solid material in great quantities that emitted a sound similar to the blow of several stones in a sac and to the auscultation it was found fading of the ruminal sounds. All animals underwent surgical removal of the material by rumenotomy, mainly finding stones, plastic, bones and seeds of Elaeis oleifera (corozo). The diagnosis of allotrophagia was made based on anamnesis, the clinical characteristics in the animal and the surgical extraction of the material, which are characteristic in this type of nutritional alteration. Although it is a common event in cattle from this region of Sucre department, this is the first report of allotrophagia in cattle of this department and Colombia.