This page is part of the site called Surgical Pathology of the Canine Female Reproductive Tract by

Dr Rob Foster
OVC Pathobiology

University of Guelph


Table of Contents

 

General Considerations

Complications of spaying/ovariohysterectomy

Ovariohysterectomy is the most common surgery of the reproductive system of dogs. Disease as a direct result of this surgery is thankfully rare.

Some of the complications are common to all surgery - anaesthetic death, wound reactions, wound infections, haemorrhage, leaving sponges and equipment behind in the incision and so on. With ovariohysterectomy there is also the potential effects of hormonal changes - sex hormone responsive alopecia, infantile and recessed vagina (see section on Canine Vagina) and so on.

Pearson (1973) wrote a paper on the complications of ovariohysterectomy in the bitch and listed the following

In this section we will deal with conditions that directly relate to complications that occur because of this particular surgery. Most of these complications are rare, but from a pathology perspective, ovarian remnant syndrome is the most common.

Ovarian remnant syndrome (ORS)

Ovarian remnant syndrome is recognised by the presence of estrus and or vaginal bleeding in a speyed dog.

There are several potential causes for ovarian tissue to remain in a previously ovarectomized dog, including the presence of an accessory ovary, improper clamping of the ovarian pedicle, and loosing the ovary in the abdomen. The questions is frequently asked 'Whose fault is this?" or in other words, was this an inadequate surgery or a supernumary or ectopic ovary. The local veterinary regulatory body uses the presence of a uterine tube to separate these. The presence of a uterine tube makes inadequate surgery most likely, whereas ovarian tissue without a uterine tube is possibly ectopic tissue. While simplistic, this does provide some guidance and so it behoves pathologists to search for and report on the presence of a uterine tube.

Pearson (1973) reports on 12 cases of dogs with recurrent oestrus following ovariohysterectomy.

Wallace (1991) wrote a clinical review about ORS. She included a retrospective study of 11 cats with the syndrome.

Miller (1995) reports 17 cases in dogs (and 29 cases in cats). Less than half of the cases were from new graduates, suggesting surgical experience was not a factor. Where the location of the remnant (s) was known, 5 cases were bilateral, 4 were on the left side, and 6 were on the right side. The second surgery was performed between 3 months and 5 years of the original ovarectomy.

Sangster (2005) wrote a student paper/case report about ORS is a German Shepherd dog.

Ball et al (2010) wrote about ovarian remnant syndrome in 19 dogs (and 2 cats), concentrating on the clinical aspects. What was particularly interesting about their study was that 5 of their 21 developed neoplasia of the ovarian remnants (see below).

I have seen 37 cases in dogs. One had granulosa cell hyperplasia and 3 had sex cord stromal tumours (granulosa cell tumours).

Ball RL, Birchard SJ, May LR, Threlfall WR, Young GS. (2010) Ovarian remnant syndrome in dogs and cats: 21 cases (2000-2007). J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2010 Mar 1;236(5):548-53.

Miller DM (1995) Ovarian remnant syndrome in dogs and cats: 46 cases (1988-1992). J Vet Diagn Invest 7: 572-574

Pearson H (1973) The complications of ovariohysterectomy in the bitch. J Small Anim Pract 14: 257-266

Sangster C (2005) Ovarian remnant syndrome in a 5-year-old bitch. Can Vet J. 46: 62–64.

Wallace M (1991) The ovarian remnant syndrome in the bitch and queen. Vet Clin North Amer: Small Anim Pract 21:510-516

 

Ovarian Stump abscess

Boza et al (2010) published a case report about a dog that developed an abscess at the site of the ovarian stump. It had silk sutures within the cavity.

 

S Boza, X Lucas, M Zarelli, M Soler, E Belda and A Agut (2010) Late Abscess Formation Caused by Silk Suture Following Hysterectomy in a Female Dog Reprod Dom Anim 2010 45: 934-936

Hydronephrosis

Kanazono et al (2009) reported on one case where a dog developed renal failure from partial ureteral obstruction and hydronephrosis 5 years after surgery. A granuloma from suture material at the uterine stump was blamed.

Kanazono S, Aikawa T,Yoshigae Y (2009) Unilateral Hydronephrosis and Partial Ureteral Obstruction by Entrapment in a Granuloma in a Spayed Dog. J of the American Animal Hospital Association 45:301-304 (2009)

Reviews

Ortega-Pacheco A, Gutiérrez-Blanco E, Jiménez-Coello M. Common lesions in the female reproductive tract of dogs and cats.Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 2012 May;42(3):547-59