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Reks - Post Traumatic Haernia
Pekinese dog Reks was presented as an emergency into our surgery during the night.
Few hours before Reks was involved in a fight with three adult Greyhounds. He was badly injured and his owner took him immediately to the nearest vet. The vet examined Reks and gave him a first aid treatment. The vet suspected spinal and pelvic injuries and suggested an x-ray examination tomorrow.
Reks owners realised that thair pet was getting worse so they contacted us by our cell phone for emergencies. 10 minutes after midnight Reks was in our surgery. Clinical examination revealed that the dog was in the state of shock.
The rear parts of his body were extremely painful. On auscultation of his thoracic cavity we discovered that the lung sounds were harsh and his heart was beating very fast (180 bits/min).
There were few bleeding wounds on his ventral abdomen.
Reks' ventral abdomen before |
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and after clipping |
We performed an x-ray examination and discovered:
- Post traumatic haernia with abdominal organs strangulated within
- Total luxation of the left hip joint
- Pulmonary oedema
According to these findings, Reks was in a life threatening condition. It was necessary to stabilise Reks straight away so he could undergo surgical treatment as soon as possible.
During the next day Reks was stabilised and he had undergone surgical treatment lasting 3 hours. Post traumatic haernia was repaired. The luxated hip joint was also repaired and the joint was stabilised by surgical implant. The owners got detailed instructions about Reks further treatment and postoperative care. As Reks is aggressive and nervous dog we especially emphasised the importance of him wearing a Elizabethan collar.
Opened haernia with its
contents |
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Surgical wound after the
repair of haernia |
On the first check-up we were very satisfied with Reks recovery. He was completely stabilised. There were no wound swellings or discharge or any signs of an infection. The owners told us that Reks was eating and drinking. The next follow-up for Reks was booked in three days time. The owners would continue to give Reks antibiotics and pain killers in a meantime.
On the follow-up examination the owners reported that Reks was completely refusing food, drink and medications while he was wearing the protective collar. Also he was very aggressive during any attempt by owners to examine him.
Clinical examination revealed that Reks was fine and that the surgical wound was clean and dry. The importance of Reks wearing the Elizabethan collar was emphasised again.
5 days after the surgery Reks was presented on a follow-up. The owners told us that they took the Elizabethan collar off Reks because it was not possible to give him the medications. The result was an open surgical wound.
Reks had undergone the general anaesthesia again and the wound was surgically treated again. There was a muscle tissue necrosis presented. Because of the necrosis, the size of the defect and the increased risk of an infection the wound was left to heal "per secundam" The protective collar was again put on Reks. We told the owners that if one more similar episode happen, we would not be able to do much for Reks.
For 14 days after the second surgery Reks was presented to our surgery every other day. We treated the wound and the wound slowly started to heal. After that period, cosmetic treatment of the wound was performed every other day.
The wound during the
healing process |
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The wound is protected |
Finally, 48 days after the start of treatment, the wound was completely healed.
The patience and the devotion of Reks owners are to be thanked for the final success of Reks treatment. And Reks? This experience didn't make him wiser and he still barks and growls to all the other dogs looking for an excuse for a good fight.
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 Radiograph
 Reks with Victorian collar
 The wound after Reks "treated" it
 The wound is completely healed
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