A dairy cow presents with a right-sided abdominal curve and a ping; which condition is most likely?

• A. Left displaced abomasum
• B. Bloat
• C. Right displaced abomasum
• D. Peritonitis

Answer: (C)

A ping on the right side with a right-sided abdominal curve points to gas-distended tissue in the right abdomen, most classically the right displaced abomasum. In this condition the abomasum has rotated and moved to the right near the paralumbar fossa, so the right flank becomes the site where a resonant, audible ping is heard when the abdomen is percussed and auscultated.

If the problem were a left displaced abomasum, the ping would be on the left side, not the right. Bloat typically produces a tympanic resonance on the left due to rumen distension and is not localized to the right in a diagnostic ping test. Peritonitis causes abdominal pain and systemic illness rather than a focal, easily reproducible ping on the right flank. Thus, the right-sided abdominal curve with a right flank ping best fits a right displaced abomasum.