Perineal Hernia Surgery In A Dog at ThePetCenter.com.

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What is a hernia? A hernia is a protrusion of an organ or tissue through an abnormal opening. A perineal hernia occurs when fat, blood vessels or organs such as the bladder have the opportunity to leave the pelvic abdominal area and enter the area along side the muscles of the the tail, gluteals and anus. Now those tissues composing the hernia and normally "in the abdomen" are escaping out under the skin of the rump.

What dogs get hernias? The vast majority of dogs that acquire perineal hernias are older males that have not been neutered. Some breeds are more likely to acquire perineal hernias than others.

How do they get it? A number of factors contribute to the development of perineal hernias. Genetic selection for low muscle mass in the rump area and male hormone influences are involved. Environmental factors can play a role such as exercise and sudden impacting pressure to the abdomen. Animals who have suffered trauma such that the intra-abdominal pressure suddenly rises can force abdominal contents through a body wall and into areas outside the abdomen.

What can be done about it? Because hernias are actually openings in body walls or barriers, the opening must be closed for a state of normalcy to exist. Sometimes a small hernia will seal itself with fat or scar tissue. These healed hernias are less strong than the original normal barrier and may reopen on occasion. Surgical correction via suturing the hernial opening is the most common method of correcting a hernia in animals. Sometimes, artificial material is sutured into the area to assist in forming a barrier to tissues that shouldn't be present.

Take a look at the surgical correction of a one-sided perineal surgery in a five year old Springer Spaniel. He was not neutered prior to the surgery (but was right after this procedure) and had a sudden development of a noticeable swelling on the right side of the base of his tail and along the gluteal muscles near his hip. He was having difficulty passing stool and "just wasn't acting right". The neutering procedure is shown on another page if you care to see that procedure.
Click on the photo to see the full size image.


The area of the hernia is outlined.	The surgical site is "prepped" for surgery.	The incision is made just to the right of the base of the tail and over the hernial sac.

Gently the surgeon dissects to the membrane (called the peritoneum) that contains the abdominal contents which have found their way under the skin.	The hernial sac is beginning to be visible.	Here the sac is isolated and assessed for any dead or infected tissue that may result from a lack of proper blood circulation to this area.

The contents of the sac and the sac itself are pushed back between the muscles of the pelvic area and into the pelvic abdominal cavity where they belong.	The surgeon is using a needle holder forceps and beginning to suture the hernial space closed.	The goal is to eliminate any space where the hernia could return. A number of non-absorbable sutures are required to tightly close a space this large.
The skin is sutured closed and the dog is kept confined to a leash for three to four weeks after the surgery. The long term prognosis for a complete recovery is generally very good. On occasion the sutures could break down or other factors may contribute to a reoccurrence of the hernia. An artificial mesh screen can then be used to seal the opening.