A Study on the Prevalence and Some Epidemiological Features of Gastrointestinal Impaction Disorders in Cattle and Buffaloes of Punjab Area

This study to document the prevalence and some epidemiological features of gastrointestinal impaction in cattle and buffaloes was conducted by undertaking key informant interview (interviews of farmers and visits to dairy farms), case study analysis (observation of cases registered under randomly selected state veterinary hospitals and polyclinics) and retrospective study in various parts of Punjab state. Interview of farmers and visits to dairy farms revealed, overall prevalence of gastrointestinal impaction in cattle and buffaloes to be 0.58 percent (cattle 0.31%, buffaloes 1.16%) with signifi cantly (p<0.01) lower prevalence in organised dairy farms as compared to unorganised farms. The annual case incidence of gastrointestinal impaction among cases referred to veterinary hospitals and polyclinics of Punjab was 4.88 percent (cattle 6.82%, buffaloes 3.83%) being signifi cantly higher during the month of May (10.44%), April (7.62%) and June (7.61%) attributable to scarcity of green fodder, feeding of wheat straw along with hot and dry climate. Through retrospective analysis of cases admitted at Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, the annual case incidence was found to be 13.67 percent (17.77% in buffaloes and 9.11% in cattle) with majority (58.0%) of gastrointestinal impaction cases associated with foreign body syndrome, and its sequel like diaphragmatic hernia and reticular abscess. The data so generated would be a basis for further research.