Diaphragmatic hernia is a rare condition in cattle and although clinical symptoms can be variable, signs ofanterior stenosis predominate. On the basis of four cases presented at the Clinic for Large Animal Internal Medicine,Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University (Belgium), the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and the treatment ofdiaphragmatic hernia are discussed in this article. The literature suggests that pre-operative diagnosis and a successfultreatment are possible. Hence a comparison is made between the findings of these four cases and the findings in theliterature.