High-producing dairy cows are easily affected by left displacement of the abomasum (LDA) within 4 weeks postpartum. Although LDA is highly associated with metabolic disturbances, the related information on comprehensive metabolic changes, with the exception of some blood biochemical parameters, remains limited. In this study, the changes in plasma metabolites and in the metabolic profile of postpartum dairy cows with LDA were investigated through liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q/ TOF-MS)-based metabolomics, and the metabolic networks related to LDA were constructed through metabolomics pathway analysis (MetPA). An obvious change in the metabolic profile was reflected by significant variations in 68 plasma metabolites in postpartum dairy cows with LDA, and these variations consequently altered 13 metabolic pathways (histidine metabolism, tyrosine metabolism, valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, arginine and proline metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies, linoleic acid metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, citrate cycle, butanoate metabolism, vitamin B 6 metabolism and pyrimidine metabolism). This study shows that the more detailed information obtained by LC-Q/TOF-MS-based metabolomics and MetPA might contribute to a better understanding of the disordered metabolic networks in postpartum dairy cows with LDA. KEY WORDS: left displacement of the abomasum, liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry, metabolomics, pathway analysis, postpartum dairy cow Left displacement of the abomasum (LDA) is often observed in high-producing dairy cows mainly within 4 weeks postpartum [2, 12, 14]. Specifically, LDA occurs when the abomasum migrates from its normal position to the left lateral abdominal wall, and this migration can cause anorexia and colic in dairy cows and even death in some cases [45]. Dairy cows with LDA exhibit a lower health status, decreased fertility, less milk production and hence a greater culling rate [11, 26]. Many studies have focused on factors related to LDA, and the findings suggest that the species, breed, gender, age, production level, nutrition, metabolism and concurrent diseases likely play an important role in the pathogenesis of LDA [13]. Marked variations in some blood biochemical parameters, such as amyloid A, haptoglobin, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs), beta-hydroxy-butyrate (BHBA), Ca, P, Mg, Cl, urea, glucose, aspartate aminotransferase and glutamate dehydrogenase, indicate that the metabolic status of lactating dairy cows with abomasum displacement is strikingly altered [18, 32, 34]. Nevertheless, the available information on comprehensive metabolic changes remains limited, and this topic should be further explored using omics technologies. Metabolomics, as a branch of omics research, aims to identify and quantify small endogenous metabolites in biological samples using a high-throughput analytical p...