Hiatal Hernia in the Dog: A Clinical Report of Four Chinese Shar Peis

Abstract

Four Chinese shar pei littermate puppies were presented for vomiting, regurgitation, hypersalivation, and poor growth. Diagnosis of hiatal hernia was made for each of the four dogs based on survey radiographs and barium esophagram studies. All dogs initially underwent medical therapy, to which only one dog responded. All dogs underwent surgical treatment, which included manual hernia reduction followed by phrenoplasty, esophagopexy, and left incisional gastropexy, 5 to 40 days following initiation of medical therapy. The three surgical techniques described eliminated the need to enter the pleural cavity and offered excellent long-term results with no recurrence of clinical signs following surgery.