This condition is almost unknown in ruminants, Reichert recording a
single case of volvulus of the ileum involving 8 inches of the gut. The
reason for the habitual immunity is to be found in the arrangement of
the small intestine at the end of a mesentery which is strengthened and
stiffened by the winding folds of the colon until twisting is
practically impossible. There remains, therefore, only the floating
colon and rectum at all exposed to the lesion. The isolated case of
Reichert only proves the rule.