Cecal transection with transanal evisceration in a goat

A 16-mo-old, pregnant, Nigerian Dwarf doe was presented to the veterinary hospital after being struck by a farm truck. A piece of tissue was found on the ground next to the goat after impact. The doe was painful on abdominal and perineal palpation, but abdominal radiographs and ultrasound did not reveal fractures or soft tissue herniations. The accompanying piece of tissue was a blind-ended sac covered with fecal material, most suggestive of the cecal apex. The goat declined to lateral recumbency, and due to the poor prognosis, the owners elected euthanasia. Postmortem examination identified free feces throughout the abdominal cavity, a complete, circumferential laceration through the mid-body of the cecum with an absent apex, and a full-thickness rectal tear at the anal orifice. Histologic examination of the accompanying piece of tissue was confirmatory of the cecal apex, and the anorectal tear had acute hemorrhage most consistent with trauma. Our report highlights the unique case presentation of traumatic cecal transection with transanal evisceration through an anorectal tear, a combination of injuries not previously reported in people or animals, to our knowledge. Pregnancy is a predisposing factor to rectal injuries in humans and veterinary species.