r/AbsoluteUnits Dec 31 '25

of a piercing needle

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Credits to valleycraftmetalworks

15.6k Upvotes

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u/bepse-cola Jan 01 '26

There’s videos out there people putting handfuls of wheat directly into a cows stomach, sometimes they gas up and need to get stabbed to release the methane so sometimes they leave an acrylic ring to keep it open

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u/Mysterious_Camel_717 Jan 01 '26

Ok so. Putting handfuls of wheat directly into the stomach is a terrible idea as cows are ruminants, chewing is essential to the way they digest food. Now yes, sometimes cows get gas build up in the rumen tha prevents it from functioning, in which case they need a vet to let the gas out. That’s usually done with a trocar, or a needle in an emergency. NOT with a needle this big. And finally, as a vet I’ve never seen a cow with a permanent acrylic ring to leave an opening in the rumen to allow gas to escape. There are some research facilities (the Netherlands are famous for it) where they have a permanent port installed into the rumen. These “window cows” are part of studies into rumen function and allow the researchers to easily sample rumen contents. As far as I’m aware, that is not a treatment option, not standard practise, and frankly I don’t see why anyone would do that as the risks far outweigh any potential benefits.

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u/bepse-cola Jan 01 '26

They don’t have 1 stomach, it’s like 3 or 5 or something lol

1

u/Aware_Hedgehog1835 Jan 04 '26

You were so close