Five-month-old pup Lucky needed complex surgery at Linnaeus-owned West Midlands Veterinary Referrals, near Burton-on-Trent.
No Bum Notes As WMR Help Bottomless Bulldog
1 week ago 
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It is finally business as usual for a poor bulldog puppy who was born without an anus.
Poor little Lucky was anything but her name after being born with the congenital issue. However, expert vets at Linnaeus-owned West Midlands Veterinary Referrals (WMR), near Burton-on-Trent, successfully carried out complex surgery on the five-month-old pup to rectify her rectal defect.
WMR’s Dr Chris Lancelott, who led Lucky’s treatment, said it was an extremely challenging case and is delighted the young dog has responded so well since the operation.
Dr Lancelott said: “Lucky was, in fact, unluckily born with a congenital defect that meant she had no anus.
“It was a severe case of a condition we call an ‘Atresia ani type 3 and rectovaginal fistula’. In layman’s terms, I needed to create an anus, reposition the rectum and attach the bowel to this new anus.
“The surgery is challenging in these cases as type 3 atresia means the closed bowel is far away from where the anus should be.
“First, we removed the fistula (abnormal internal passageway) and then carefully dissected the rectum to mobilise it.
“This was then elevated into position through the anal dimple, albeit with no obvious sphincter muscle clearly identified.
“The difficulty was freeing up enough tissues to achieve all of this without destroying the blood supply but the surgery was successful and Lucky has done very well post-operatively.
“She is continent and hopefully will continue to have a normal life now she is able to defecate normally.”
Lucky’s relieved owner Fran Silk, from Admaston, is full of gratitude to Dr Lancelott and the expert WMR team.
She said: “We realised within the first week of Lucky being born that she wasn’t ‘plumbed’ correctly and, as a result, she suffered from water infections and constipation.
“Our local vets suggested we try to get her to between eight and 12 weeks old, when she might be big enough to undergo an operation.
“Weaning was a challenge but at 10 weeks old she was referred to West Midlands Veterinary Referrals where we saw Chris.
“After a thorough investigation and detailed discussions, we decided to go ahead with the operation to correct her issues.
“Chris didn’t make any promises. He told it as it was, so we knew the risks, but the operation went well and three months later, Lucky is slowly going from strength to strength.
“After months of being fed a liquid diet she is now able to eat kibble just like her mum.
“We have to keep a close eye on her but so far so good and we couldn’t be happier with the care and treatment Lucky received at WMR, including such exemplary aftercare. We’re very grateful.”
WMR provides a wide range of high standard veterinary services delivered by experienced clinicians and supported by state-of-the-art facilities to facilitate accurate diagnosis and treatment.
For more information about WMR, visit www.wm-referrals.com or search for West Midlands Veterinary Referrals on social media.
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