Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Vaginal evisceration of the small intestine in three mares.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1985
- Authors:
- Tulleners, E P et al.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Three mares experienced a serious condition where part of their small intestine came out through the vagina. This happened to two of the mares shortly after breeding accidents when the stallion's penis caused a tear in the vaginal area. The affected intestine was put back in place, and the tears were stitched up while the mares were standing and given pain relief. One mare healed well, was bred again, and later had a healthy foal. The second mare had complications a day later, requiring surgery to remove a damaged section of her intestine, but she also recovered and was later found to be pregnant. Unfortunately, the third mare did not recover from a similar issue after her urinary bladder ruptured, and her treatment was not successful.
Abstract
Three mares were treated for vaginal evisceration of a portion of the small intestine. Evisceration occurred in 2 mares shortly after breeding accidents in which the stallion's penis penetrated the vaginal fornix dorsal to the cervix. The affected bowel was replaced through the laceration, and the vaginal defects were sutured with the mares standing, utilizing epidural anesthesia. One mare recovered without complications, was subsequently bred, and delivered a foal with no difficulty. The other mare developed signs of a strangulating small intestinal obstruction 24 hours after the injury, necessitating exploratory celiotomy. Two meters of small intestine had become devitalized secondary to avulsion of the mesentery and adjacent vascular supply during the evisceration. The affected portion was resected and a jejunocecostomy was performed. Recovery was uncomplicated and 21 months later the mare was 9 months in foal. A third mare was treated unsuccessfully for evisceration of several meters of small intestine through the external urethral orifice after rupture of the urinary bladder.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4038699/