Diaphragmatic herniation of reticulum in a hardware disease of cow

Abstract

Diaphragmatic reticular hernia was diagnosed in a seven year old cow during necropsy examination. Clinically, cow showed decreased appetite, progressive weakness, intermittent fever, jugular pulse, lethargy, recurrent bloat and arching of back from one month. The clinical signs aggravated and cow showed fever, ruminal atony, submandibular edema, watery diarrhoea and impaction for four days and recumbency for 12 hours before death. A forked metal wire was recovered from reticulum which caused traumatic reticulitis leading to diaphragmatic rupture and reticular herniation into the thoracic cavity through ruptured diaphragm, pericarditis with adhesion to rib cage and pneumonia leading to death. Histopathological study of affected organs showed fibrinous pericarditis, epicardial haemorrhages, acute fibrinous interstitial pneumonia, cirrhosis and enteritis.