Surgical measurement of the length of the large intestinal tract in Nigerian local dogs

This study aimed to determine the total large intestinal length (TLIL) and the lengths of its various segments in Nigerian local dogs. Six (6) adult autochthonous Nigerian local dogs were used for this study. The dogs were premedicated, intramuscularly, with atropine sulphate and xylazine hydrochloride. They were administered anaesthesia and maintained with Thiopentone sodium intravenously. Access to their abdominal cavity was obtained via a mid-ventral abdominal incision. The large intestine was exteriorized and measured from caecum to rectum. The crown-rump length (CRL) and caecum (C) were significantly longer (p<0.05) in the larger dogs (11–16 kg) compared to the smaller ones (5–10 kg). The colon and rectum (CR), TLIL and the ratio of crown-rump length to intestinal length (CRLT) did not differ significantly (p>0.05) between these two size-wise categories of dogs. The ratios of crown-rump length to weight (CRLW) and large intestinal length to weight (LILW) were significantly higher (p<0.05) in the smaller dogs than in the larger ones. There was a strong correlation between the weight and the CRL (0.53) and between the weight and TLIL (0.66). The average TLIL was 48.3 cm in the larger dogs and 45.1 cm in the smaller ones. The average colon and rectum length was 37.7 cm in the larger dogs and 36.8 cm in the smaller ones. The average C length was 10.2 cm in the larger dogs and 8.3 cm in the smaller ones. The average CRL was 1.5 times the average TLIL in Nigerian local dogs. Conclusion: Body size does not affect the total length of the large intestine of Nigerian local dogs. However, the caecum is significantly longer in the bigger dogs.