Acquired non-incarcerated inguinal/scrotal herniation in working donkeys (Equus asinus)

Abstract

In equine practice, inguinal hernia is a common disease and can be either acquired (direct) or con-genital (indirect). This retrospective study aimed to describe the presentation and surgical manage-ment of acquired inguinal/scrotal herniation in 11 working donkeys (nine intact males, one gelding, and one female). All donkeys had a unilateral acquired inguinal/scrotal hernia, which was noticed by the owner for a period of two to 24 weeks. All the swellings were reducible, painless, not accompa-nied by an acute abdomen. Ultrasonography, rectal, and clinical examination are useful tools for the diagnosis of inguinal/scrotal hernias in donkeys. Eight animals underwent successful inguinal herniorrhaphy with the removal of the testicle at the affected side, and the superficial inguinal ring was closed by application double-layer polypropylene mesh. The recovery period ranged from 14 to 25 days (average, 16.8 ± 2.8 days). All donkeys released from the clinic returned to their previous levels of exercise. Our study showed that acquired inguinal or scrotal herniation in donkeys is not a clinical emergency requiring prompt intervention. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing this condition in donkeys.

Keywords

• acquired
• donkeys
• ingunal hernia
• scrotal hernia