Review on Metallic and Non-metallic Foreign Bodies a Threat to Livestock and Environment

Disorder of the gastrointestinal tract of the dairy cattle is common due to indiscriminate feeding behavior. An ingested foreign body by cattle is divided in to two main groups. The first category is foreign bodies of nonmetallic origin and the second category is metallic origin. Entrance and migration of foreign bodies through the body tissue leads to many complications that differ according to the nature and the ways of its entrances in to the tissue. Ingestion of foreign bodies is still extremely common in cattle especially in developing countries where the standard of animal management is unsatisfactory. Foreign body syndrome can be defined as various conditions originating from ingestion of foreign bodies, metallic bodies like nails or wires and non-metallic bodies like plastic bags. Prevalence of foreign bodies in cattle is the most serious problem not only because of its mortality and morbidity but also it contributes a lot for reduced production and productivity. This paper mainly reviews the factor attributed to incidence, etiology, clinical findings/observation, complications, diagnosis, biochemical profile, rumen profile of non-penetrating and penetrating foreign bodies and measures to counteract the menace to livestock.