A vaginal fornix foreign body in a bitch: a case report

A six-year-old intact female Lagotto Romagnolo was referred with a two-day history of purulent vulvar discharge associated with fever, lethargy, polyuria, polydipsia and signs of abdominal pain. Abdominal ultrasound revealed a grass awn foreign body in the vaginal fornix. Culture swabs obtained from the vagina revealed the presence of Staphylococcus epidermidis as the preponderant organism. Ovariohysterectomy was performed, and the presence of the grass awn was confirmed. A chronic-active vaginitis was found at histological examination. The dog recovered with resolution of all clinical signs. Differential diagnoses for acute vulvar discharge in bitches should include retention of vaginal foreign bodies. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of a grass awn foreign body in the vaginal fornix of a dog.