Hypospadia and omphalocele in a French Bulldog – case report

Hypospadia and omphalocele are rare congenital defects reported in various breeds, including the Doberman Pinscher, English Bulldog, French Bulldog, Basenji, and Dalmatian. Hypospadia is characterized by a defect in the fusion of the penile foreskin associated with persistent opening of the ventral urethral sulcus. Omphalocele is an abdominal wall defect, most common at the umbilical site, that may lead to evisceration of abdominal organs. Some dog breeds are suspected to have an hereditary predisposition to these conditions, but the etiology is still poorly understood, and believed to be multifactorial. We report a case of omphalocele and hypospadia in a French Bulldog neonate on which euthanasia was performed.