Clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of full-thickness abdominal wall injuries complicated by evisceration and fistulation in dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius)

Abstract

Background Abdominal wall injuries in dromedary camels often result in life-threatening evisceration or persistent fistulation. While well documented in equines and bovines, standardized surgical management protocols and survival outcomes for camelids remain scarce in veterinary literature. This retrospective study evaluated the clinical patterns, visceral involvement, surgical treatments, and survival outcomes of full-thickness abdominal wall injuries complicated by evisceration or fistulation in dromedary camels. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 14 dromedary camels presenting with full-thickness abdominal wall trauma complicated by acute evisceration ( n = 11) or chronic fistulation ( n = 3) at a specialized camel hospital between September 2023 and December 2025. All animals underwent detailed clinical and ultrasonographic examinations. Surgical management was tailored according to lesion type, tissue viability, and the degree of contamination. Results Females (85.7%) and the Wadeh breed (78.6%) were predominantly affected. Injury distribution was equally split between ventral/umbilical (50.0%) and ventrolateral (50.0%) zones, driven by external trauma (57.1%), hernia rupture (28.6%), or gastroschisis (14.3%). The intestines were the most frequently involved viscera (50.0%), and gross environmental contamination was present in 78.6% of cases. One camel (7.1%) died during initial stabilization. Following surgery of acute evisceration cohort, (63.6%) (7/11) survived and were successfully discharged from the hospital. Conversely, 27.3% (3/11) of the camels developed rapid hemodynamic collapse and hyperacute systemic sepsis within 24–48 h post-injury, which resulted in death. Postoperative recovery and successful hospital discharge of chronic fistulation were achieved in 66.7% (2/3) of the cases. One camel (33.3%, 1/3) developed uncontrollable severe sepsis secondary to chronic focal necrosis on postoperative day 4 and died. Conclusion Accurate rapid diagnosis and prompt surgical interventions of full-thickness abdominal wall injuries complicated by evisceration and fistulation can yield a favorable prognosis in dromedary camels. Lesion type, tissue viability, and injury duration are the key factors influencing management choices and overall prognosis for camelid full-thickness abdominal wall injuries.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2026 · DOI ↗