Abdominal hernias in birds
Patricia McWhirter, BVSc Australia

Abdominal hernias are occasionally seen in avian species, usually associated with reproductive tract abnormalities in female budgerigars or sulphur-crested cockatoos or with lipomas (fatty deposits) in cockatoos of either sex. In the past, surgical repair of abdominal hernias was considered to be unsuccessful, but many cases can be successfully resolved.
In the cases used in this study, the most common bird was an individual pet presented due to a swelling on the abdomen or around the vent, varying in size, depending on how recently the bird had defecated or last laid an egg. In some cases, bleeding due to rubbing of the hernia on a perch precipitated the initial visit.
Droppings were generally large in volume, but less frequent that in non-affected birds. The size of the hernias reached large proportions in some cases, yet the birds seemed to function normally except for difficulty in dealing with an enlarged abdomen. A "penguin-stance" was typically seen.
Reducing the hernia manually was difficult because there was often extensive breakdown of the abdominal musculature, marked oviduct enlargement or sometimes, an intra-abdominal mass.
In these cases the birds were anesthetized and an incision was made over the hernial sac. In some cases, intestinal fluid was drained, or egg-peritonitis lesions were cleaned and removed. Lipomas were removed. The intestines and abdominal organs were examined, identified, and separated from the hernial tissues. If the oviduct was enlarged, and the bird was not a valuable breeding bird, the oviduct was removed.
In all cases it was possible to reduce the hernia and repair the abdominal wall. Nylon mesh was available if the hernia was too large to allow primary closure, but was not needed in these cases.