ABOUT US:
04/22/2025
Our veterinarians perform an abdominal surgery almost on a daily basis at various farms around the practice to correct a DA or displaced abomasum. A quicker and less expensive way of correcting a displaced abomasum in place of the abdominal surgery is with a "roll and tack" procedure. Dr. Mark Sosalla is pictured in the center of the photo performing the roll and tack on a cow at B & S Dairy owned by Brandon and Shannon Ehmke.
"The abomasum is like a helium balloon where the cow is laid down on her right side with the displaced abomasum on the left. The cow is rolled onto her back and the stomach stays up. I listen for the DA until it is just to the right of the midline. Then I place the toggles in and tie the stomach down. Most people don't put the cows on any antibiotics. This procedure is not as good as the regular abdominal surgery but it is less expensive and usually used on borderline cows that farmers want to fix the DA but not spend the money on the regular surgery."
One of the employees pictured assisting in the roll and tack is Jacob, a high school senior from Mayville, who is enrolled in the Youth Apprenticeship Program offered by the Department of Workforce Development.
📸 Shannon Ehmke
