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After surgical reposition of displaced organs (abomasum, uterus, intestines) restoration of blood flow and oxygen supply generates oxygen radicals and other reactive oxygen species. SOD indicates radical stress of the organism. Subject of the study was the question if SOD can be detected in blood serum samples of cows and if there are differences in SOD activity between healthy cows and cows with Dislocatio abomasi (DA). We also wanted to investigate the influence of breed "Schwarzbunte" with DA (16 left/5 rights). The samples were drawn before and 1, 3 and 24 post op. Ten healthy cows of the same breed were also examined (2 weeks and 4-6 weeks after calving). There are no significant differences between the SOD activity of healthy cows and cows with DA, but the SOD activity of cows with left DA is significant lower than the activity of cows with right DA. Post op. SOD activity decreases; 24 h after surgery cows with left but not with right DA show an increase of SOD activity similar to values before surgery. There is a close positive correlation between SOD activity and protein concentration as well as negative correlation to concentration of free fatty acids after surgery. The behaviour of SOD activity shows that the surgical replacement of the displaced abomasum can generate a depression of the antioxidative capacity of the organism.

In recent years the importance of oxyradicals in clinical veterinary medicine is incessantly grown. An important example in cattle breeding is the displaced abomasum in dairy cows. The antioxidative status of the animals is representable by means of the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the blood. Post operationem the activity of SOD decreased very fast. In cows with left abomasal displacement this activity increased within 24 hours to the starting level, but in cows with right abomasal displacement the SOD-activity in this period increased only insignificantly. Because of the low level of SOD-activity in blood serum the measuring should take place in erythrocyte lysate. Today there are many possibilities of therapeutical intervention of reperfusion injury, but their clinical efficiency has to be ascertained. The treatment of cows with displaced abomasum with ascorbate, tocopherole or prednisolone before the replacement of the abomasum shows first success in terms of the antioxidative and metabolic status.

The body condition, the kind of parturition, the milk yield and diseases during early lactation were investigated in 228 cows including heifers. Overconditioning (back fat thickness > 30 mm) before parturition resulted in cows falling ill with mastitis and abomasal displacement (DA). These cows mobilised the most fat in comparison with healthy cows and cows suffering from different diseases after parturition. Especially heifers (83%) which gave birth to heavier male calves fell ill with DA, therefore needed assistance during labour because of dystocia. Besides DA additional disturbances occurred in those heifers, e.g. 50% mastitis, and 30% retentio secundinarum in this investigation. The daily milk yield amounted to 13.1 kg in cows with DA and to 23 kg in healthy cows. The presented results support the classification of DA into the fat mobilisation syndrome. Consequently overconditioning and stress during parturition need to be avoided to prevent DA.

During a five-day fasting period prednisolone (30 mg/d) reduced strongly as a result of induced hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinaemia the rise of FFA and bilirubin in six nonpregnant ewes in contrast to six control animals. The liver fat content remained in treated ewes within the physiological range, but in control animals the fat concentration increased to 300 g/kg. beta-OH-butyrate was only a little influenced. Harmful effects on the liver function in prednisolone treated ewes could not be observed. Plasma cortisol concentration contradicted a depression of endogenous cortisol secretion.

Dehydrocholic acid (Biliton) was given to 9 cows with a predisposition for the fat mobilization syndrome in daily doses of 5.5 g each. This was done two weeks after parturition and the results were compared with those from 9 untreated cows. Five other cows suffering from ketosis or indigestion symptoms were treated too. Decreased concentrations of liver lipids, free fatty acids (FFA), bilirubin, beta-OH-butyrate and urea as well as increased glucose in blood plasma indicated a favourable action of Dehydrocholic acid on metabolism and liver function. We did not observe a significant influence on milk and reproduction parameters. The use of Dehydrocholic acid is recommended for use in liver disturbances.