An unusual gastric hernia through the chest wall in a dog after a wild boar attack

Abstract A 3‐year‐old, entire, female Segugio Maremmano was presented with an unusual protrusion of the stomach through the left thoracic wall due to a 12th rib fracture and diaphragmatic and skin lacerations following a wild boar attack. Due to rapid changes in vital parameters and gastric incarceration, a thoracic and abdominal‐focused ultrasonographic assessment was performed, and the dog was placed under anaesthesia. An emergency exploratory coeliotomy revealed diaphragmatic herniation involving part of the omentum, the head of the spleen and the stomach into the thoracic cavity, with the stomach protruding through the thoracic wall. A subsequent thoracotomy ruled out pulmonary damage. The dog recovered uneventfully. This is the first reported case of gastric protrusion through the left thoracic wall after a wild boar attack. This article highlights the value of thoracic and abdominal‐focused sonography in critical cases and the importance of prompt surgical treatment.