Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Long-term results of hiatal hernia treatment in dogs and cats
By Lorinson, D & Bright, R M·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1998·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Long-term outcome of medical and surgical treatment of hiatal hernias in dogs and cats: 27 cases (1978-1996).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old English Bulldog was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia after showing signs of reflux and difficulty swallowing. Initially, the dog was treated with medication for 30 days, and while most pets improved, one dog sadly passed away during treatment. For those that didn’t respond to medication, surgery was performed, and the majority of them, including this Bulldog, showed significant improvement after procedures like esophagopexy. Overall, many dogs and cats with hiatal hernias can be successfully managed with medication, but surgery may be necessary for those that don’t improve.
People also search for: dog hiatal hernia treatment · English Bulldog reflux symptoms · cat hiatal hernia surgery recovery
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine long-term outcome of medical and surgical treatment of hiatal hernia (HH) in dogs and cats. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 22 dogs and 5 cats. PROCEDURE: Medical records of dogs and cats with HH were reviewed. Outcomes of treatment were obtained from reexamination or owner questionnaires. RESULTS: The most common breeds affected were English Bulldog and domestic shorthair cat. Mean age of all dogs and cats was 4 years. Hiatal hernia was diagnosed by use of contrast radiography of the esophagus (n = 19), fluoroscopy (7), or esophagoscopy (1). Eight of 15 dogs and cats treated medically for 30 days had complete resolution of signs. Of the 7 in this group that did not respond, 1 died on the 10th day of medical treatment and the remaining 6 were treated surgically. Eight of 10 dogs that underwent hiatal plication, esophagopexy, and gastropexy responded favorably. Four of 7 dogs that underwent fundoplication did well. However, 3 of these dogs did not have clinical signs. Fundoplication was successful in only 1 of 4 dogs with clinical signs. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Dogs and cats with clinical signs of reflux esophagitis associated with HH should undergo conservative treatment for 30 days. Most will be managed successfully by use of drugs, dietary alterations, or both. Those that do not respond to conservative treatment will likely require surgery. The best prognosis after, surgery appears to be associated with the esopagopexy technique.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9702228/