Objectives: To describe the clinical findings, management and outcome of colonic impaction in dogs and report the effectiveness of medical treatment.
Materials and methods: Case records of 58 dogs with colonic impaction were reviewed. Telephone contact with the owners was used to obtain long-term outcome.
Results: Twenty-nine dogs (50%) were mixed-breed, and 45 (78%) were entire males. Median age at presentation was 7 years, and median bodyweight was 22 kg. The degree of radiographic colonic distension did not appear to be related to long-term outcome. Fifty-five dogs (95%) received medical treatment including enemas alone, hyperosmotic and/or bulk-forming and/or lubricant laxatives, enemas combined with laxatives or enemas and/or laxatives combined with manual evacuation of faecal material under anaesthesia. Median survival time of the 58 dogs was 2 years. Overall, 36 of 41 dogs with available long-term follow-up had a favourable outcome.
Clinical significance: Medical treatment of colonic impaction in dogs with a single agent or a combination of agents has a high success rate. Marked colonic dilation is not necessarily indicative of megacolon in dogs.
© 2019 British Small Animal Veterinary Association.