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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1460092

Gut Feelings: Gastrointestinal signs in French Bulldogs undergoing spinal surgery

Provisionally accepted
Michelle du Toit Michelle du Toit 1*Luca Motta Luca Motta 2
  • 1 Willows Veterinary Centre, Solihull, West Midlands, United Kingdom
  • 2 Northwest Veterinary Specialists, Runcorn, United Kingdom

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The French bulldog (FBD) is a brachycephalic breed prone to several neurological conditions, of which intervertebral disc herniation (IVDH) is considerably prevalent. Gastrointestinal (GI) disease is a reported complication in dogs surgically treated for IVDH.The objective of this study was to describe GI signs and their outcome in FBDs surgically treated for IVDH.Data regarding the GI signs (vomiting, diarrhoea and regurgitation), their frequency and short-term outcome in FBDs surgically treated for IVDH (cervical, thoracolumbar or lumbar) between January 2017 and April 2023 were obtained from medical records at one institution. Categorical variables were compared using Fisher exact tests, and ordinal/continuous data between categorical groups using Kruskal-Wallis or Mann-Whitney tests.Ninety-seven FBDs were included for analysis. GI signs occurred in 74/97 (76.3%) FBDs while hospitalised, with 33.8% and 66.2% developing GI signs pre-and post-operatively, respectively. FBDs that developed GI signs had a mean of 4.9 episodes. Diarrhoea was the most common GI sign encountered (51/74) compared to regurgitation (38/74) and vomiting (22/74). Resolution of GI signs occurred within a mean of 2.2 days. Mean duration of hospitalisation post-surgery was 4.6 days in FBDs that developed GI signs versus 3.7 days in FBDs that did not (p=0.033). Anaesthesia length was associated with developing GI signs (p=0.037). Neurological severity, neuroanatomical localisation and surgical procedure were not associated with development of GI signs (p=0.42, p=0.794 and p=1, respectively).In conclusion, GI signs were commonly encountered in FBDs surgically treated for IVDH and associated with length of anaesthesia and prolonged hospitalisation.

    Keywords: French Bulldog, gastrointestinal complications, intervertebral disc herniation, Ventral slot, Hemilaminectomy

    Received: 05 Jul 2024; Accepted: 30 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 du Toit and Motta. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Michelle du Toit, Willows Veterinary Centre, Solihull, B90 4NH, West Midlands, United Kingdom

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.