Hernias and ruptures

A young pup of 3-4 months of age presented with exercise intolerance and increased respiratory effort. A specialist cardiologist had diagnosed peritoneal-pericardial herniation and the pup’s vets referred him on to us for corrective surgery.

After trauma like road traffic accidents, ruptured diaphragm can occur and abdominal contents including intestines and liver can move through into the chest cavity. The reduced volume available for the lungs usually leads to significant respiratory distress. Occasional cases however have surprisingly minimal clinical signs.