[Enterological complications following ovariohysterectomy in dogs (author's transl)]

Of 109 dogs submitted with complications following ovariohysterectomy, twenty were found to show enterological problems. Presenting symptoms in these animals consisted in vomiting, diarrhoea and emaciation. A large number of animals also showed body temperatures above 39 degrees C. An irregular, often painful mass was palpable on examination of the mesogastrium in seventeen cases. Plain radiography revealed the features of ileus in ten dogs, a mass of soft tissues in the abdominal cavity in six and the pattern of peritonitis in five cases (two animals were classifiable with two groups). One dog did not show any changes. Laparotomy was performed in all twenty dogs. In view of the extent of the lesions, euthanasia was performed in ten animals. Partial enterectomy was performed in the other ten; some of these dogs are still alive at the time of writing. The findings at laparotomy and subsequent post-mortem examination, if any, may be summarized as follows: - there were adhesions between the ovarian-stump granulomas and an intestinal loop in five animals; - twelve animals showed adhesions between the ovarian-stump granuloma and the intestines which also adhered to each other; in five of these bitches, the intestinal loops were also attached to the wall of the abdomen, and also to the cervix stump in two cases; - three dogs only showed adhesions between intestinal loops; the cervix stump was involved in the adhesions in one dog.