hardware disease

From the fact that in cattle it is usually caused by hardware such as a piece of wire or a fastener (e.g., fence wire, nail, screw).

hardware disease (uncountable)

1. (animal husbandry, veterinary medicine) Traumatic gastrointestinal puncture and infection in ruminants (especially cattle) and birds that ingest a sharp object (in livestock usually a metal object such as wire or a fastener); in cattle it usually includes reticuloperitonitis and thus in practice is usually metonymically synonymous with traumatic reticuloperitonitis.