Canine perineal hernia: a review of 44 cases

Abstract

This study examined complete case records of dogs presented to our practice who were diagnosed and treated for perineal hernia (PH) over a 7-year period (2005-2012) and reports short term and long term clinical outcome of these cases following treatment. Forty four dogs with a total of 56 PH were reviewed. All dogs underwent surgery and were treated with a combination of anatomic reapposition of the pelvic diaphragm (PD) along with internal obturator muscle transposition (IOMT). In dogs with bilateral PH the second herniorrhaphy was performed with 4 weeks interval. Breeds most commonly presented were German Shepherds (25%) and Mongrels (18.18%). Common causes of presentation were perineal swelling (84.1%), tenesmus (77.3%) and dyschezia (36.4%). Clinical examination findings revealed that PH was unilateral (72.7%) or bilateral (27.3%). Unilateral hernias were categorized as right (68,75%) or left (31.25%).