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Health implications of foreign bodies in cattle's rumen and reticulum in Bedeno Woreda Municipal Abattoir, Eastern Ethiopia
Summary
Researchers examined 398 cattle at an Ethiopian abattoir and found that 38% had ingested foreign bodies — most commonly plastic bags — causing mucosal inflammation, ulceration, and tissue adhesion, with metallic objects producing the most severe pathological damage and older animals in peri-urban areas at greatest risk.
The growing problem of solid waste contamination on communal grazing lands in eastern Ethiopia creates a direct pathway through which non-biodegradable materials enter the digestive systems of free-ranging cattle. This research examined the health implications of foreign body accumulation in the rumen and reticulum of cattle slaughtered at the Bedeno Woreda Municipal Abattoir, West Hararghe Zone, eastern Ethiopia. A cross-sectional investigation was carried out between October 2021 and March 2022, during which 398 cattle were assessed through ante-mortem evaluation and post-mortem forestomach inspection. Foreign bodies were recovered from 151 animals (37.9%), and each positive case was further evaluated for gross pathological changes, including mucosal inflammation, wall thickening, ulceration, and adhesion formation. Plastic bags were the most common foreign body (34.4%), followed by cloth and textile fragments (20.5%), metallic objects (15.9%), and other materials including leather, rope, and mixed debris (29.2%). Metallic foreign bodies produced the most severe health effects, with 78.6% of cases showing mucosal inflammation and 28.4% exhibiting adhesion formation. A health impact scoring system, developed for this research, confirmed that metallic objects scored highest (mean: 84.2 out of 100) on a composite weight loss index, followed by plastic bags (71.6) and mixed materials (67.8). Animals from peri-urban areas in poor body condition showed the highest combined prevalence and health impact scores. Age was significantly associated with the severity of pathological findings, as cattle older than seven years had the highest proportion of severe outcomes (28.8% with transmural changes) compared to just 5.7% in animals under three years. The research establishes that the health consequences of foreign body ingestion in Bedeno Woreda cattle extend well beyond simple mechanical obstruction, encompassing a spectrum of inflammatory and degenerative changes that compromise animal welfare, reduce productivity, and diminish the economic value of carcasses. These findings support calls for integrated environmental and veterinary interventions targeting waste reduction on grazing lands and improved monitoring of at-risk cattle populations.