She Keeps Licking Her Unmentionables!

Something we see frequently in clinical pratice are cases of vaginal/vulvar dermatitis and infection called vulvovaginitis. This condition is precipitated by the conformation of the vulva wherein there is persistant trapping of moisture which encourages bacteria and yeast to proliferate and rapidly create and itchy, uncomfortable vulva for the patient. Such conformation includes inversion of the vulvar lips under an extra fold of skin providing the perfect trap for moisture. Urine or other sources of moisture ultimately become entrapped in this/these fold(s).

In some cases the underlying cause is the patient being overwieght, however, many times this is simply the "abnormal" conformation of the external vulva. Combine this with a patient who might also have mild to severe underlying allergies and management of this issue can be an extraordinary challenge.

If weight loss and nursing care of the vulva daily fail to keep this condition under control, a surgical procedure called episioplasty may help tremendously. The above image was obtained from a dog for whom management was not successful and who was of appropriate body weight. Notice the darkening of the skin associated with chronic inflammation. Prior to surgery a fold of skin was seen covering the majority of the vulva causing entrappment of moisture and propogating chronic infection. This patient has had an excellent outcome after surgical correction.

GRAHAMDVM

#dog #vulvoplasty #UTI #urinarytractinfection #episioplasty #cat