Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with rectum displacement after tail amputation fixed by muscle
By Götzens, Bruno et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2020·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Dorsal displacement of the rectum after proximal tail amputation and subsequent surgical repair by bilateral semitendinosus muscle transposition in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old cat developed problems after a tail amputation due to a car accident. Five days post-surgery, the cat showed signs of straining to defecate and had skin issues at the surgery site. A vet found that the rectum had shifted out of place and was blocked with hard feces. To fix this, the vet performed a surgery using muscles from the cat's hind leg to support the rectum. The cat recovered well, with no further issues or signs of lameness noted over the next two years.
People also search for: cat tail amputation recovery · cat straining to poop · cat rectum displacement treatment
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 6-year-old cat underwent tail amputation at the sacrococcygeal joint and was evaluated 5 days later because of necrosis of the skin at the surgery site and tenesmus. Tail amputation had been necessary as a result of vehicular trauma. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Neurologic examination of the cat revealed no abnormalities. Clinical evaluation and radiography confirmed dorsal displacement of the rectum as a result of removal of the tail and transected sacrocaudal and rectococcygeal musculature as well as muscles of the pelvic diaphragm. The rectum was dilated and filled with hard feces. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: To correct the dorsal displacement of the rectum, bilateral semitendinosus muscle transposition was performed to restore tissue to the void created by removal of the tail, sacrocaudal muscles, muscles of the pelvic diaphragm, and rectococcygeus muscle. The cat recovered uneventfully from surgery. No further displacement of the rectum occurred and no lameness attributable to bilateral transection of the semitendinosus muscles was noted during a 2-year follow-up period. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: To the authors' knowledge, dorsal displacement of the rectum after proximal tail amputation and its surgical correction in a cat have not been described previously. The favorable outcome in this case suggested that bilateral semitendinosus muscle transposition can safely be used to address large muscular defects at the level of the caudal aspect of the sacrum and the perineum in cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32459588/