Case Report
Complete Urogenital and Anorectal Duplication in a Dog
Jonathan M. Coffman,
1
Marina McConkey ,
1
Gary Ellison,
1
Elizabeth Huynh,
1
and Michael J. Dark
2
1
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
2
Department of Clinical, Diagnostic, and Population Medicine and Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
Correspondence should be addressed to Marina McConkey; marina.mcconkey@uf.edu
Received 12 November 2018; Revised 20 January 2019; Accepted 4 February 2019; Published 3 March 2019
Academic Editor: Amalia Agut
Copyright © 2019 Jonathan M. Cofman et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.
A 10-week-old sexually intact female golden retriever was evaluated for two functional anal openings and a bipartite vulva.
Examination revealed haired skin between two separate anatomically smaller anal openings. On rectal palpation, a sof tissue
septum (5 cm) with a mucosal surface between the two anal openings was palpated. In addition, circumferential rectal
musculature was not appreciated on the ventral aspect. Urogenital evaluation revealed duplication of the vestibule and vagina
with a complete centrally located septum extending dorsoventrally. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis,
vaginocystourethrogram, and colonogram were performed. Complete bifurcation of the urinary bladder with duplication of the
urethra, cervix, and vaginal canal was noted. Approximately 2 cm from the rectum, there was a similar bifurcation that converged the
colon into two rectal portions and separate anal openings. Te owner was counseled on the severity of congenital malformations
and a high likelihood of aging-related developmental complications in the future. Te owner elected humane euthanasia and a
necropsy was performed to confrm the malformations.
1. Introduction
A diagnosis of complete urogenital and anorectal duplication
was made via contrast computed tomography and necropsy
in a 10-week-old intact female golden retriever. Clinical
signs included smaller, sof, poorly formed, fecal material
from both anal openings and urinary incontinence which
had been present since birth. Advanced imaging of the
patient was pursued, but surgical correction was declined. A
necropsy was performed to further investigate the anatomical
variations in this patient. Tese congenital abnormalities
were reviewed in the veterinary literature and compared with
human descriptions of similar abnormalities.
2. Case Description
A 10-week-old 9.6 kg sexually intact, female, golden retriever
puppy was purposefully bred and born via cesarean sec-
tion with ten other littermates (seven females and three
males). Te female dog in question had two smaller than
anatomically normal slit-like anal openings with haired skin
coursing between the two distinct orifces. Te referring
veterinarian examined and explored the female puppy’s
abnormality afer birth and ruled out a persistent anal
membrane. No further treatment or surgery was performed
since the female puppy did not appear to have difculty with
defecation. Te dog was then referred to the University of
Florida Small Animal Hospital for further evaluation and
exploration of surgical treatment options.
On presentation, the dog was bright, alert, and in good
condition, with a body condition score of 5/9 and normal
vital signs. Te owner reported the patient defecated through
both anal openings without tenesmus and noted that the fecal
material was mostly sof and of poorly formed consistency.
During the physical examination, the dog became excited and
dribbled urine in several small spots. Further discussion with
the owner revealed that she frequently found urine on the
foor but did not recognize this as a sign of incontinence.
On physical examination, the lef anal orifce was situated 3-4
mm of midline, was smaller in diameter, and had a slit-like
Hindawi
Case Reports in Veterinary Medicine
Volume 2019, Article ID 3696978, 5 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/3696978