Perineal urethrostomy in a castrated male pet rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) after development of a urethral stricture

Abstract

BackgroundPerineal urethrostomies are commonly reported in veterinary literature in cats and involve anastomosing the urethra to the skin to make a urinary stoma. There are various urinary tract disorders that can necessitate this procedure with obstructions, trauma and stenosis cited as common issues. Case descriptionA 2-year-old, male, castrated, mixed breed rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) presented to the hospital with a history of straining to urinate for several hours. One month prior a urethrotomy surgery was performed to remove an obstructing urolith. Diagnostics revealed a stricture was present and a perineal urethrostomy was performed. Conclusion and case relevanceThis report discusses the surgical approach to a perineal urethrostomy in a domestic rabbit and describes the differences from surgical descriptions reported in cats. A clinician presented with a similar case could consider this surgical technique for management of a urethral stricture in a castrated male rabbit.