Cholecystocutaneous fistula and associated cholelithiasis in an eight-year-old dachshund

An eight-year-old female neutered dachshund presented with a three-month history of a chronic swelling on her cranioventral abdominal wall. Antibiotic and anti-inflammatory therapy were ineffective. The swelling was 2 cm wide with a pinpoint open centre discharging purulent material. Contrast CT of the abdomen revealed an enlarged gall bladder, several cholecystoliths and a fistulous tract opening at a single site on the midline, just caudal to the xyphoid process. Cholecystectomy and removal of the entire fistulous tract via exploratory laparotomy resulted in rapid and complete resolution. Culture of the gall bladder content revealed presence of Pasteurella subspecies. One year after surgery, the dog had had no recurrence of the fistulous tract. Although the inciting cause of the biliary rupture is unclear, no evidence of neoplasia was found histologically. However, the cholecystocutaneous fistula was associated with, and contained, multiple cholecystoliths.