Inguinal Hernia Foal

They are caused by some type of defect in the wall of the abdomen either affecting the umbilical area or the inguinal canal a passage in the anterior abdominal wall.

Inguinal hernia foal. With an inguinal hernia you will notice that your horse s inguinal area near the groin in females and scrotum in males will appear swollen. In male horses these hernias are often referred to as scrotal hernias as they occur around the horse s scrotum. Inguinal hernias occur when the inguinal ring becomes enlarged or weakened. Hernias are classified by their location reducibility and by the nature of their contents.

Marien t et al 2001 laparoscopic testis sparing herniorrhaphy a new approach for congenital inguinal hernia repair in the foal. An attempt will be made to reduce replace the contents of the hernia into the. There are two types of hernia that a foal can suffer from both of which may go by unnoticed until they have grown a bit more. A congenital inguinal hernia of a foal should be reduced surgically if the hernia cannot be reduced has escaped into subcutaneous tissue through a rent in the vaginal sac fails to resolve or enlarges or is so large that spontaneous resolution is unlikely.

In foals with a ruptured scrotal hernia the herniated small intestine is reduced by grasping and applying traction with atraumatic endoscopic forceps figure 28 4. Hernias are usually evident just after birth but may not be apparent until the foal is standing or more active. Large hernias greater than 2 inches in diameter need surgical treatment. Most congenital hernias in the foal are umbilical inguinal or scrotal in location.

In some affected foals the testicle is located intra abdominally while in others it can be withdrawn from a scrotal or inguinal location with gentle traction on the spermatic cord. 52 162 repeated manual reduction may encourage spontaneous reduction and applying a truss after manually reducing the hernia may speed resolution. Inguinal hernia is the most common cause of groin swelling in the young foal. This canal is defined and bounded by heavy ligaments within the groin which make up the inguinal ring.

Klohnen a and wilson d g 1996 laparoscopic repair of scrotal hernia in two. A hernia is one of many afflictions that can affect foals during birth. Equine vet educ 13 1 32 35 vetmedresource. Gaughan e m 1998 inguinal hernias in horses.

Comp cont educ 20 1057 1059 vetmedresource. Hernias less than 1 inch can resolve on their own if the contents are pushed back into the abdomen frequently. Uncomplicated hernias are most commonly e nc ou t rd w ih sg of disease. 207 to surgically correct inguinal herniation the foal is anesthetized and positioned.

75 to apply a truss the foal is sedated and positioned in. The inguinal canal is the connection between the abdominal cavity the space surrounding the abdominal organs and the inside of the pouch of the scrotum. The majority of inguinal hernias are congenital cause no distress and spontaneously reduce by the time the foal is 3 to 6 months old.