Staged Salvage Repair of an Infected Canine Perineal Hernia after Mesh Herniorrhaphy Using Sacro-Ischial Sling Reconstruction: A Case Report
Keywords:
Dog, Perineal hernia, Sacro-ischial sling, Mesh infection, Revision surgeryAbstract
Perineal hernia repair is difficult when infection involves a previous prosthetic reconstruction because infection control and durable pelvic support must both be achieved. This report describes staged management of a dog with postoperative mesh infection after repair of a contralateral perineal hernia, followed by delayed salvage sacro-ischial sling (SS) reconstruction. A 12-year-old intact male Thai Bangkaew dog weighing 16.9 kg was initially presented with a right caudal perineal hernia and later developed a contralateral left caudal perineal hernia after right-sided mesh repair and castration. The left-sided hernia was repaired using mesh, but purulent discharge developed postoperatively. Management consisted of wound opening, drainage, serial dressing changes, culture and susceptibility testing, antimicrobial adjustment according to culture results and clinical response, and eventual mesh removal with loose skin closure to maintain drainage. After infection control, delayed revision was performed using an 80-lb polyethylene leader-line SS and an active drain. Recovery after revision surgery was uneventful. Follow-up radiographs showed stable metallic crimp position without evidence of construct displacement, and no recurrence was observed through the last follow-up examination at 644 days after the initial left-sided mesh repair. The clinical contribution of this case is the demonstration that staged infection control, infected implant removal, and delayed SS reconstruction may be a feasible salvage strategy in selected dogs with infected perineal hernia repairs.
References
Bernardé A, Rochereau P, Matres-Lorenzo L, Brissot H. Surgical findings and clinical outcome after bilateral repair of apparently unilateral perineal hernias in dogs. J Small Anim Pract. 2018;59(12):734-41.
Bongartz A, Carofiglio F, Balligand M, Heimann M, Hamaide A. Use of autogenous fascia lata graft for perineal herniorrhaphy in dogs. Vet Surg. 2005;34(4):405-13.
Camacho-Ortiz A, Lara-Medrano R, Martínez-Reséndez MF, Mendoza-Olazarán S, Flores-Treviño S, Garza-González E. Azithromycin effect on multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii biofilm production and composition. Gac Med Mex. 2021;157(5):478-83.
Elkasapy AH, Shokry MM, Alakraa AM, Khalifa OA. Prosthetic polyester-based hybrid mesh for repairing of perineal hernia in dogs. Open Vet J. 2022;12(1):124-8.
Gill SS, Barstad RD. A review of the surgical management of perineal hernias in dogs. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc. 2018;54(4):179-87.
Hardie EM, Kolata RJ, Early TD, Rawlings CA, Gorgacz EJ. Evaluation of internal obturator muscle transposition in treatment of perineal hernia in dogs. Vet Surg. 1983;12(2):69-72.
Mann FA, de Mello Souza CH. Perineal hernia. In: Monnet E, editor. Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery. 2nd ed. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell; 2023. p. 318-30.
Maute AM, Koch DA, Montavon PM. Perineal hernia in dogs: colopexy, vasopexy, cystopexy and castration as elective therapies in 32 dogs. Schweiz Arch Tierheilkd. 2001;143(7):360-7.
Merchav R, Feuermann Y, Shamay A, Ranen E, Stein U, Johnston DE, et al. Expression of relaxin receptor LRG7, canine relaxin, and relaxin-like factor in the pelvic diaphragm musculature of dogs with and without perineal hernia. Vet Surg. 2005;34(5):476-81.
Nakaza P, Silva AR, De Brucker AA, Grangeiro DM, Vicente PC, Dos Santos JC, et al. Unilateral perineal hernia surgery: case report. Rev Fac Med Vet Zootec. 2022;69(3):325-33.
Radlinsky MAG, Fossum TW. Surgery of the digestive system. In: Fossum TW, editor. Small Animal Surgery. 5th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2019. p. 532-7.
Ramos RD, O’Brien WJ, Gupta K, Itani KMF. Incidence and risk factors for long-term mesh explantation due to infection in more than 100,000 hernia operation patients. J Am Coll Surg. 2021;232(6):872-80.
Sharma AK, Chandrakala K, Kumari L, Singh S, Kumar S, Kumar P. Successful surgical management of recurrent perineal hernia using colopexy and cystopexy in a dog. Int J Livest Res. 2016;6(4):105-9.
Sjollema BE, Van Sluijs FJ. Perineal hernia repair in the dog by transposition of the internal obturator muscle. II. Complications and results in 100 patients. Vet Q. 1989;11(1):18-23.
Snow LA. Perineal herniorrhaphy. In: Griffon D, Hamaide A, editors. Complications in Small Animal Surgery. Ames: Wiley Blackwell; 2016. p. 388-94.
Sprada AG, Huppes RR, Ferranti JPS, De Souza FW, Coelho LDP, Moraes PC, et al. Perineal hernia in dogs: which technique should we use? Acta Sci Vet. 2017;45(S1):244.
Sutthiprapa W, Budsayaplakorn P, Koatsang N, Theerapan W, Thengchaisri N. Retrospective evaluation of surgical outcomes using traditional, internal obturator muscle flap, and sacroischial sling technique for canine perineal hernia repair. J Adv Vet Anim Res. 2025;12(4):1421-9.
Tobias KM. Perineal hernias. In: Aronson LR, editor. Small Animal Surgical Emergencies. Ames: Wiley-Blackwell; 2015. p. 136-49.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mahidol University Faculty of Veterinary Science

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Published articles are under the copyright of the Journal of Applied Animal Science (JAAS) effective when the article is accepted for publication. The editorial boards claim no responsibility for the content or opinions expressed by the authors of individual articles in this journal. Partially or totally publication of an article elsewhere is possible only after the consent from the editors.