An 18-yr-old female Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) presented with acute-onset severe lethargy, bloody vaginal discharge, decreased appetite, and an abnormal posture. The gorilla was diagnosed with a ruptured cecal blind sac with severe adhesions to the right ovary. A typhlectomy and unilateral ovariectomy were performed. Histologic examination identified a severe transmural circumferential typhlitis with rupture and adhesions to the infundibulum and chronic typhlitis. Postoperative management included antibiotics, analgesics, short-term dietary modifications, and probiotics for suspect oral candidiasis. The gorilla made a full clinical recovery and was pregnant within 1 yr of surgery. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case of successful management of typhlitis in a gorilla. Typhlitis and intestinal rupture should be considered as a differential diagnosis for acute onset severe abdominal pain in gorillas.
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Appendectomy
appendicitis
gorilla
typhlectomy
typhlitis