Incisional hernia in a dog

ABSTRACT

Background: The rupture of the suture in the abdominal wall, but with integrity of the cutaneous suture, results in a condition known as incisional hernia. It is characterized by the protrusion of the abdominal viscera through orifices or areas ofthe abdominal wall. In most of the cases these defects in the abdominal wall are iatrogenic. The incisional hernia occursin an intact wall that is weakened by surgical incisions. The available literature on the incidence of incisional herniasin animals is scarce. With the aim to contribute to the information about incisional hernia in animals, it was decided todescribe the case of incisional hernia in a female dog after performing ovariohysterectomy (OH).Case An adult mongrel shelter bitch, of unknown age, weighing 9.5 kg was admitted for OH in a practical class of theveterinary surgical technical discipline. Once the anesthetic condition was established, a retro-umbilical cutaneous incisionwas made. After opening the abdominal cavity, the bitch was castrated routinely. The abdominal wall was sutured including peritoneum, muscle fascia, and rectus abdominis muscle with nylon thread and U-stitches. The subcutaneous tissuewas then sutured with the same thread using Cushing suture. Ten days after the surgery, when the stitches were removed,the bitch revealed an increase in volume at the region of the surgical scar. Incisional hernia was diagnosed after carefulpalpation. For correction of the hernia, the bitch was submitted to surgical procedure. After the skin opening, an intenseinflammatory reaction was observed in the subcutaneous tissue. The inflamed skin and subcutaneous tissue were removed.The abdominal cavity was closed with nylon thread by means of U-stitches. The subcutaneous and skin...