Clinical findings for dogs undergoing elective and nonelective cholecystectomies for gall bladder mucoceles

The purpose of this study was to describe elective and nonelective post-cholecystectomy complications and mortality rates in dogs with a gall bladder mucocele. The secondary purpose was to report complications and mortality rates for different methods of common bile duct catheterisation.

A multi-institutional retrospective case series was performed to identify dogs with a gall bladder mucocele between 2004 and 2018 that underwent a cholecystectomy. Dogs were classified into nonelective or elective based on the presence or absence, respectively, of gall bladder rupture, biliary duct distension, clinical signs or hyperbilirubinemia. Each cholecystectomy was classified into three groups: duodenotomy and retrograde catheterisation, normograde catheterisation or no catheterisation. Complications were divided into four grades based on increasing severity and mortality rates were assessed for each.

The mortality rate was 2 (6%) out of 31 for dogs undergoing an elective cholecystectomy and 21 (23%) out of 90 for dogs undergoing a nonelective cholecystectomy. The complication rate was 52% for the elective cholecystectomy and 50% for nonelective cholecystectomy. The majority of the complications in the elective category were grade 1 (mild). Post-operative hyperthermia developed in 35% of dogs that had a duodenotomy and retrograde common bile duct catheterisation, in 4% of dogs with a normograde common bile duct catheterisation and in 7% of dogs that did not have the common bile duct catheterised.

Elective cholecystectomy in dogs with a gall bladder mucocele in this study carried a low mortality rate and a relatively high frequency of minor complications.