Sigmoid caecal volvulus in a dairy cow treated by total typhlectomy

A four-year-old pedigree Holstein, second lactation cow had been lethargic, with a reduced appetite, signs of colic and reduced milk yield for one day. There was a small swelling in the right paralumbar fossa and auscultation of this region revealed a tympanitic resonance (ping). An exploratory laparotomy revealed a sigmoid shaped caecal volvulus and extensive caecal necrosis. The condition was corrected surgically by a total typhlectomy. Recovery was slow for the first week after surgery but uneventful thereafter. One month later the cow was healthy, with normal faecal consistency, and in the milking herd. Over the following lactation the cow gave an excellent milk yield.