Incisional Hernia in a Dog

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 of the abdominal wall. In most of the cases these defects in the abdominal wall are iatrogenic. The incisional hernia occurs in an intact wall that is weakened by surgical incisions. The available literature on the incidence of incisional hernias in animals is scarce. With the aim to contribute to the information about incisional hernia in animals, it was decided to describe 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 the veterinary surgical technical discipline. Once the anesthetic condition was established, a retro-umbilical cutaneous incision was 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 tissue was 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 careful palpation. For correction of the hernia, the bitch was submitted to surgical procedure. After the skin opening, an intense inflammatory 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 sutures were the same as the first surgery. Ten days after the second surgery, stitches were removed, and the bitch had fully recovered. Discussion: One of the factors that may have contributed to the occurrence of the hernia was carrying out the surgical procedure in a practical class. The difficulties shown by students are related to the long learning curve, the complexity of the invasive technique, and the lack of ability. The apprentice surgeon can cause injuries in the tissues due to excessive manipulation. Post-incision hernias are acquired and formed when a cavity wall closed by surgery is ruptured. Another factor that may have contributed to the occurrence of the hernia described here is unsatisfactory postop