Pyometra with inguinal herniation of the left uterine horn and omentum in a Beagle dog

An inguinal herniation of pregnant uterus in a Standard Wirehaired Dachshund – a case report

A 4-year-old intact female Standard Wirehaired Dachshund dog was referred with chief complaint of inguinal mass to the Small Animal Clinic at the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Slovakia. On physical examination, the bitch was healthy with no abnormalities other than having a non-painful and non-reducible soft tissue mass in the left inguinal region also involving the mammary gland. Ultrasonographic examination of the abdomen revealed a pregnant uterus and ultrasonography of the inguinal mass showed an organ with a lumen filled with anaechoic fluid. The diagnosis of a herniation was made and the owners decided for complete ovariohysterectomy. The left uterine horn had an incarcerated part of the inguinal hernia together with the ovary. Inside there was one macerated conceptus. The remaining part of the left uterine horn was located in the abdomen and had 2 macerated conceptuses. The bitch made an uneventful recovery from the surgery and anaesthesia with no postoperative complications and was sent home after the surgical procedure.

Pyometra in an inguinal hernia in a bitch

Pyometra in an inguinal hernia was diagnosed in a 10-year-old intact cross-bred bitch which had had dysorexia, depression and inguinal distension. The hernia contained caudal portions of the two uterine horns, uterine cervix and cranial part of the vagina. As the organs were enlarged and full of pus, manual attempt to push back the uterine horns and the vagina in the abdominal cavity through the inguinal canal was unsuccessful. Herniated uterine horns were ligated and cut in their median portion, so it became possible to remove the cervix and the caudal portion of the horns through the hernial orifice, and the ovaries and the cranial part of the horns through a peritoneal midline incision. This bitch was not intended for breeding purposes and, given the presence of a huge pyometra associated with an inguinal hernia, an ovario-hysterectomy was recommended. Uterine herniation should be considered as a differential diagnosis of a caudal lateral inguinal mass. When pushing the uterus back in the abdominal cavity is impossible, a surgical procedure should be performed to detect ischemia–reperfusion injury and/or a septic risk.