Emergency surgical intervention for intussusception with preventive enteroplication in a Labrador puppy recovered from parvoviral enteritis

Abstract

A two-month-old female Labrador puppy weighing 3.5kg presented with acute onset anorexia, vomiting, and hematochezia of two days duration was evaluated at the Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, Veterinary College, Hebbal, Bengaluru. Clinical and laboratory findings supported a diagnosis of canine parvoviral enteritis, for which the patient received intensive supportive therapy over seven days. Although marked clinical improvement was noted, abdominal palpation on day seven revealed a firm, elongated, sausage-shaped mass in the mid-abdomen. Ultrasonography demonstrated a characteristic “target” or “bull’s-eye” appearance, confirming intestinal intussusception. Emergency exploratory laparotomy identified a jejuno-jejunal intussusception, which was manually reduced. In view of the underlying enteric pathology and high recurrence risk, prophylactic enteroplication was performed. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, with progressive return to normal gastrointestinal function. This case underscores the importance of early diagnostic imaging in post-parvoviral patients and demonstrates the efficacy of enteroplication as a preventive surgical measure in managing juvenile intussusception.