Ectopic pregnancy in a Ewe: A case report

Ectopic pregnancy indicates a pregnancy that takes place outside the uterus. This rare condition in animals can arise due to very specific causes, which can be broadly categorized into two types viz. primary and secondary causes. The former includes either the loss of an oocyte directly through the fimbria of an oviduct and is fertilized in the abdominal cavity and develops there, or a fertilized retrograde ovum enters the peritoneal cavity and becomes attached to the mesentery or abdominal viscera. In an accurate primary cause, placentation must exist on either a peritoneal or omental surface. The Secondary cause includes the rupture of an oviduct or the uterus after the fetus has been implanted, which may either be due to an external trauma, an internal pressure or a surgical scar. In the present case, the pregnancy was of primary cause, wherein, both the oviducts and the uterine horns were intact and single dead and deformed ectopic foetus was attached to the abdominal viscera. The location of the attachment was intestinal mesenteric area. The foetus was taken out by a caesarean section through left flank laparotomy and the ewe recovered completely.