Caecal infarction in a Holstein Friesian calf

The present report concerns a case of caecal infarction we observed in a two-week-old female Holstein Friesian calf, which developed diarrhoea with a fatal outcome, despite antibiotic and fluid therapy. At necropsy, multiple and large foci of ischaemic necrosis were observed along the anti-mesenteric side of the caecum. Microscopically, coagulative necrosis of the caecal wall was seen, a thick band of neutrophils infiltrating the submucosa and the inner smooth muscle layer. Pathological findings allowed the final diagnosis of caecal infarction, which is rarely diagnosed in neonatal/young calves (<30 days), its aetiopathogenesis being currently unknown.