Surgery of the Dulaa in the Camel (Camelus dromedarius)

Abstract

The present study was carried out on 45 native adult dromedary camels suffering from disorders of the dulaa. Clinical signs were those of dysphagia and or dyspnoea. Twenty-four camels (53.33%) were unable to inflate or extrude their dulaas. These signs were associated with pharyngeal swelling. Therefore the animals were examined radiographically. Fifteen (33.33%) camels suffered from collapsed and persistent protrusion of the dulaas. Four (8.9%) camels had previous episodes of dysfunction of the dulaa and the owner requested elective surgical excision. The remaining 2 (4.44%) animals had previous excision by healers and developed granulation tissue. Surgical management was achieved after light sedation using xylazine (2% Rompun, Bayer) supplemented with local infiltration analgesia or followed by induction of anaesthesia using ketamine hydrochloride (Ketamidore). The operations were carried out either through the oral cavity or following a pharyngostomy incision at the inter-mandibular region. In the latter instances, temporary tracheotomy was needed. The prevalent surgical affections were impaction with food material associated with ulcer or echymosis or abscesses. Less severe maladies were those of persistent protrusion accompanied with edema, haematoma, lacerations, small foci of abscesses and gangrene. The prognosis was favourable. The study included surgical anatomy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as radiography of the dulaa in health and disease.