Pyometra in an inguinal hernia in a bitch.

Pyometra in an inguinal hernia was diagnosed in a 10-year-old intact cross-bred bitch which had had dysorexia, depression and inguinal distension. The hernia contained caudal portions of the two uterine horns, uterine cervix and cranial part of the vagina. As the organs were enlarged and full of pus, manual attempt to push back the uterine horns and the vagina in the abdominal cavity through the inguinal canal was unsuccessful. Herniated uterine horns were ligated and cut in their median portion, so it became possible to remove the cervix and the caudal portion of the horns through the hernial orifice, and the ovaries and the cranial part of the horns through a peritoneal midline incision. This bitch was not intended for breeding purposes and, given the presence of a huge pyometra associated with an inguinal hernia, an ovario-hysterectomy was recommended. Uterine herniation should be considered as a differential diagnosis of a caudal lateral inguinal mass. When pushing the uterus back in the abdominal cavity is impossible, a surgical procedure should be performed to detect ischemia–reperfusion injury and/or a septic risk.