Dr. Phil Zeltzman’s Blog
Your last surgery of 2020 was what???
I am perfectly aware that this is going to sound very weird to some pet owners.
I (still) wanted to share this because this surgery – the very last one I performed in 2020 – easily solves an annoying, itchy, ongoing “back end” problem…
Rigby, a super sweet 7 year old Pitbull, has had repeated urinary tract infections (UTIs).
The cause was an extra skin fold that covered her vulva.
The end result is a dark, moist, warm environment where bacteria thrive… then go up into the bladder, causing repeated infections.
This common (and under-diagnosed) condition is called a redundant vulvar fold, aka hooded vulva, vulvar fold dermatitis or recessed vulva.
The solution is a reconstructive surgery to remove the extra skin (vulvoplasty or episioplasty).
The main challenge in surgery is to remove just the right amount of skin. Not too little, and not too much.
Rather than a long story, here are before and after pictures.
On the left, you cannot see a vulva at all. It’s covered by the skin fold.
On the right, immediately after surgery, you can see the vulva.
Please be aware, this picture can seem graphic to some readers!
After 3 weeks, Rigby’s back end looks much better. Her vulva is visible, with no skin fold, and therefore no hidden place for bacteria to hide.
Her owner writes: “Her surgical wound is healed and the sutures are almost absorbed. She’s completely stopped licking and all of the inflammation/ irritation from the post op pictures is healed. The anatomy really looks perfect.”
Phil Zeltzman, DVM, DACVS, CVJ, Fear Free Certified
Dr. Phil Zeltzman is a traveling veterinary surgeon in Pennsylvania & New Jersey. An award-winning author, he loves to share his adventures in practice along with information about vet medicine and surgery that can really help your pets. Dr. Zeltzman specializes in orthopedic, neurologic, cancer, and soft tissue surgeries for dogs, cats, and small exotics. By working with local family vets, he offers the best surgical care, safest anesthesia, and utmost pain management to all his patients. Sign up to get an email when he updates his blog, and follow him on Facebook, too!