Hardware disease

[2] It can be difficult to conclusively diagnose, but can be prevented by the oral administration of a magnet around the time that the animal reaches the age of one year.

Sharp metallic objects, such as nails, barbed or baling wire, are the common initiators of hardware disease.

[3] In rare cases, the metal object penetrates the entire wall of the reticulum and can pierce the heart sac, causing pericarditis.

[1] Compression by the uterus in late pregnancy, straining during parturition and mounting during estrus can increase the likelihood of the object penetrating the abdominal wall or the heart sac.

[3] Laboratory tests are not always necessary, but increases in fibrinogen and total plasma protein often result from hardware disease and may be diagnosed with a blood sample.

In some advanced cases that don't respond to medical or surgical therapy, slaughter is often considered from both an economic and a humaneness perspective.

[2] A cow magnet is a veterinary medical device for the treatment or prevention of hardware disease in cattle.

While the resultant mass of iron remains in the cow's rumen as a pseudobezoar (an intentionally introduced bezoar), it does not cause the severe problems of hardware disease.