Vaginal prolapse in ewes: A critical review of the literature and the disease status in Greece A critical review of the literature and description of the disease status in Greece

PDF
Published: Jul 6, 2023
Updated: 2023-07-06
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/jhvms.30210
Keywords:
vaginal prolapse ewes small ruminants Greece feeders
Giorgos Christodoulopoulos
Department of Animal Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Abstract

This article is a critical review of the vaginal prolapse in ewes. It describes the pathophysiology, risk factors, clinical signs, treatment, and prevention of the disease. It also describes the epidemiology of the disease in Greece based on data from the Clinic of Medicine (Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Thessaly). The data show that the disorder is a rare condition in the Greek sheep industry. Finally, the influence of highly elevated feeders and also the influence of injectable chorionic gonadotrophin on the risk of vaginal prolapse are emphasized as significant risk factors for the disease in the modern sheep industry.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Review Articles
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

· Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

· Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

· Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.

Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Allott BS, Dittmer KE, Kenyon AG, Elder PA (2020) Preliminary investigation of the effect of treating sheep during pregnancy with a vitamin
A, D, E formulation on the incidence of vaginal prolapse. N Z Vet J
:193-197.
Bassett EG, Phillips DS (1955a) Changes in the pelvic region of the ewe
during pregnancy and parturition. N Z Vet J 3:20–25.
Bassett EG, Phillips DSM (1955b) Some observations on the pelvic anatomy of ewes with vaginal prolapse. N Z Vet J 3:127–137.
Bayly A, Hankin TH, Haugh P (1936) Eversion of the vagina in ewes. New
Zealand Journal of Agriculture 53:19–27.
Brown S, Stafford KJ, Norris G (2021) A search for predictive biomarkers
of ovine pre-partum vaginal prolapse. Res Vet Sci 140:251-258.
Christodoulopoulos G (2022) Vaginal Prolapse in Ewes. Vet Rec Case
Rep. 2022;e375. https://doi.org/10.1002/vrc2.375
Edgar DG (1952) Vaginal eversion in the pregnant ewe. Vet Rec 64:852–
Ennen S, Kloss S, Scheiner-Bobis G, Failing K, Wehrend A (2011) Histological, hormonal and biomolecular analysis of the pathogenesis of
ovine Prolapsus vaginae ante partum. Theriogenology 75:212-219.
Fthenakis GC (2011) Vaginal prolapse. In: Fthenakis, G.C. (Ed.), Reproduction of Small Ruminants, Tziolas publications, Thessaloniki, pp.
-278. (In Greek)
Hosie BD (2007) Prolapse and hernia. In: Aitken, I.D. (Ed.), Diseases of
Sheep, 4th edition Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, pp. 94-99.
Hosie BD, Low JC, Bradley HK, Robb J (1991) Nutritional factors associated with vaginal prolapse in ewes. Vet Rec 128:204–208.
Jackson R, Hilson RPN, Roe AR, Perkins N, Heuer C, West DM (2014)
Epidemiology of vaginal prolapse in mixed-age ewes in New Zealand. N Z Vet J 62:328–337.
Knottenbelt DC (1988) Vaginal rupture associated with herniation of the
abdominal viscera in pregnant ewes. Vet Rec 122:453–456.
Kuijlaars M (2011) The occurrence of vaginal prolapse in sheep and cattle.
Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Case Study, Ghent
Litherland AJ, Knight TW, Lambert MG, Cook TG, McDougal DBO, Day
A (2007) Calcium balance in mid and late pregnancy and vaginal prolapse. Proc N Z Soc Anim Prod 67:61–67.
Litherland AJ, Lambert M, Knight TW, Cook T, McDougal D (2000) Incidence of bearings in ewes that had a bearing the preceding lambing.
Proc N Z Soc Anim Prod 60:44–46.
Low JC, Sutherland HK (1987) A census of the prevalence of vaginal
prolapse in sheep flocks in the Borders region of Scotland. Vet Rec
:571-575.
McLean JW (1956) Vaginal prolapse in sheep. Parts I and II. N Z Vet J
:38–55.
McLean JW (1957) Vaginal prolapse in sheep. Part III: The effect of topography on incidence. N Z Vet J 4:93–97.
McLean JW (1959) Vaginal prolapse in ewes. Part VI: Mortality rate in
ewes and lambs. N Z Vet J 7:137–139.
McLean JW, Claxton JH (1960) Vaginal prolapse in ewes. Part VII: The
measurement and effect of intra-abdominal pressure. N Z Vet J 8:51–
McLean JW, Claxton JH (1958) Vaginal prolapse in sheep. Part IV: Cyclic
changes in the vulva, vestibule, and vagina during the year. N Z Vet
J 6:133–137.
Mori da Cunha MGMC, Mackova K, Hympanova LH, Bortolini MAT,
Deprest J (2021) Animal models for pelvic organ prolapse: systematic
review. Int Urogynecol J 32:1331–1344.
Scott PR (2015) Sheep Medicine. 2nd edition CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group LLC, Boca Raton.
Scott PR, Sargison ND, Penny CD, Strachan WD (1995) The use of combined xylazine and lignocaine epidural injection in ewes with vaginal
or uterine prolapses. Theriogenology 43:1175-1178