Surgical correction of a double congenital hernia in a veal calf

Abstract This clinical case report describes the rare occurrence and successful surgical management of two simultaneous congenital hernias, umbilical and perineal, in a crossbred veal calf. At 5 days of age, the animal, weighing approximately 40 kg, showed visible swelling in the umbilical and perineal regions together with a congenital tail malformation. After careful clinical evaluation, the calf was sedated, and an umbilical herniorrhaphy using an autologous peritoneal flap was performed. For the perineal hernia, necrotic tissue was debrided, and the defect was repaired by suturing the pelvic diaphragm and closing the superficial layers with standard suture patterns. Postoperative care included multimodal analgesia, antibiotics and wound management. Follow‐up examinations at 7 and 90 days confirmed complete functional recovery without complications. Histological and serological tests excluded infectious or neoplastic aetiologies, and it was not possible to identify a common cause for the two abnormalities. Nevertheless, the outcome supports surgical treatment as the first‐choice option for resolving congenital hernias in cattle.