Vet Med - Czech, 2014, 59(9):457-460 | DOI: 10.17221/7687-VETMED

A vaginal fornix foreign body in a bitch: a case reportCase Report

M. Fabbi, S. Manfredi, F. Di Ianni, C. Bresciani, A.M. Cantoni, G. Gnudi, E. Bigliardi
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Italy

A six-year-old intact female Lagotto Romagnolo was referred with a two-day history of purulent vulvar discharge associated with fever, lethargy, polyuria, polydipsia and signs of abdominal pain. Abdominal ultrasound revealed a grass awn foreign body in the vaginal fornix. Culture swabs obtained from the vagina revealed the presence of Staphylococcus epidermidis as the preponderant organism. Ovariohysterectomy was performed, and the presence of the grass awn was confirmed. A chronic-active vaginitis was found at histological examination. The dog recovered with resolution of all clinical signs. Differential diagnoses for acute vulvar discharge in bitches should include retention of vaginal foreign bodies. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of a grass awn foreign body in the vaginal fornix of a dog.

Keywords: grass awn; vagina; ultrasound; dog

Published: September 30, 2014  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Fabbi M, Manfredi S, Di Ianni F, Bresciani C, Cantoni AM, Gnudi G, Bigliardi E. A vaginal fornix foreign body in a bitch: a case report. Vet Med - Czech. 2014;59(9):457-460. doi: 10.17221/7687-VETMED.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Brennan KE, Ihrke PJ (1983): Grass awn migration in dogs and cats: a retrospective study of 182 cases. Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association 182, 1201-1204.
    2. Cherbinsky O, Westropp J, Tinga S, Jones B, Pollard R (2010): Ultrasonographic features of grass awns in the urinary bladder. Veterinary Radiology and Ultrasound 51, 462-465. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    3. Cordery R (1997): Unusual foreign body in a cat. Veterinary Record 140, 160.
    4. Della Santa D, Rossi F, Carlucci F, Vignoli M, Kircher P (2008): Ultrasound-guided retrieval of plant-awns. Veterinary Radiology and Ultrasound 49, 484-486. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    5. Dietrich BE (1979): Persistent vaginal discharge in a spayed dog. Veterinary Medicine, Small Animal Clinician 74, 1748-1749.
    6. Feldman EC, Nelson RW (2004): Vaginal defects, vaginitis, and vaginal infection. In: Canine and Feline Endocrinology and Reproduction. 3rd ed. WB Saunders Co, St-Louis. 901-918.
    7. Gatel L, Gory G, De Pauw B, Rault DN (2014): Diagnosis and ultrasound-guided retrieval of a vaginal foreign body in a dog and a cat. Vlaams Dierjeneeskundij Tijdschrift 83, 55-59. Go to original source...
    8. Gnudi G, Volta A, Bonazzi M, Gazzola M, Bertoni G (2005): Ultrasonographic features of grass awn migration in the dog. Veterinary Radiology and Ultrasound 46, 423-426. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    9. Howe LM (2006): Surgical methods of contraception and sterilization. Theriogenology 66, 500-509. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    10. Jacobs V, De Schepper J, Boucherie P (1989): Three cases of misdiagnosed pyometra in dogs (in Dutch). Vlaams Dierjeneeskundij Tijdschrift 58, 20-22.
    11. Johnson CA (1991): Diagnosis and treatment of chronic vaginitis in the bitch. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice 21, 523-531. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Johnston SD, Root Kustritz MV, Olson PNS (2001): Disorders of the canine vagina, vestibule, and vulva. In: Johnston SD, Root Kustritz MV, Olson PNS (eds.): Canine and Feline Theriogenology. 1st ed. JW.B. Saunders, Philadelphia. 225-242.
    13. Kustritz MV (2008): Theriogenology question of the month. Cause of postestral vulvar discharge. Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association 232, 841-843. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    14. McCabe JR, Steffey MA (2004): What is your diagnosis? Dystocia during a previous parturition. Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association 224, 1255-1256. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    15. Nicastro A, Walshaw R (2007): Chronic vaginitis associated with vaginal foreign bodies in a cat. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 43, 352-355. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    16. Ratcliffe J (1971): Vaginal bleeding in a spayed bitch: a case report. Journal of Small Animal Practice 12, 169. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    17. Schultz RM, Zwingenberger A (2008): Radiographic, computed tomographic and ultrasonographic findings with migrating intrathoracic grass awns in dogs and cats. Veterinary Radiology and Ultrasound 49, 249-255. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    18. Smith YR, Berman DR, Quint EH (2002): Premenarchal vaginal discharge: findings of procedures to rule out foreign bodies. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology 15, 227-230. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    19. Snead EC, Pharr JW, Ringwood BP, Beckwith J (2010): Long-retained vaginal foreign body causing chronic vaginitis in a bulldog. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 46, 56-60. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    20. Soderberg SF (1986): Vaginal disorders. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice 16, 543-559. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    21. Staudte KL, Hopper BJ, Gibson NR, Read RA (2004): Use of ultrasonography to facilitate surgical removal of non-enteric foreign bodies in 17 dogs. Journal of Small Animal Practice 45, 395-400. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    22. Stricker T, Navratil F, Sennhauser FH (2004): Vaginal foreign bodies. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 40, 205-207. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    23. Wu MH, Huang SC, Lin YS, Lin MF, Chou CY (1995): Intravaginal foreign body retained for a long duration. International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics 50, 193-195. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY NC 4.0), which permits non-comercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content