History: Indoor puppy. Puppy presented lethargic, anorexic, vomiting for 72 hours, reduced stool production 48 hours prior, no stool production for 24 hours.
Clinical Exam: Puppy depressed. Notable weight loss; dehydrated. Palpable mass mid-abdomen; abdomen painful upon palpation.
Diagnostic Findings: CBC results showed an elevated PCV, all other values with normal limits; blood chemistry results showed no significant findings. Mass in abdomen not radiographically visible but suspecious gas pattern was noted on radiograph.
Diagnosis: Non-linear GI Foreign Body
Treatment: IV fluids started, patient placed under general anesthesia & vitals moitored, surgical site preped, GI tract examined from stomach to colon, location of foreign body easily identified and a egg-shaped/sized cloth object removed, GI tract fully examined and appears healthy (no resection necessary), abdominal incision closed, patient placed in hospital recovery cage. After 24 hours of post-op moitoring, IV fluid therapy to correct dehydration, IV antibiotics and pain medication, patient released with prescription antibiotics and pain medication, as well as a soft, easy-to-digest bland diet for 5 days.
Patient Recommendations: Restrict access to toys/objects small enough to consume; monitor appetite and behavior/activity level. Use e-collar if puppy is licking at area to prevent self-trauma to incision site. Continue to keep puppy under strict confinement (leash walk to potty, cage rest, no running/jumping/rough play) to prevent dehissance of incision site as it heals for 7 days; recheck incision site with vet in 3 days; surgical staples to be removed in 7-10 days. Bland diet should be contined for 3-5 days, then a slow transition to puppy's regular diet over the following 3-5 days. Have puppy rechecked immediately if relaps of previous symptoms: lethargy, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea or lack of stool, abdominal pain.
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Client Education:
Foreign Body Obstructions: GI foreign body obstructions can happen to any pet. Consumption of inanimate objects can be due to many reasons, such as GI upset (some animals consume unusual items when nauseated), boredom or anxiety (this most commonly happens to unkenneled pets who experience separation anxiety or storm phobia while the owner is away from home), damage to a toy (for example, cloth tug toys can be easily consumed once they have become damaged and begin to unravel), or because they appear appealing or consumable (often this can happen when toys or other objects have food on them, such as children's clothes or toys or when a dog raids the garbage can).
Many owners encourage cats to play with string-like objects, but this can come at a price. Cats have a particularly difficult time when playing with objects such as sewing thread, ribbon, yarn, dental floss, holiday tinsel, and rubber bands because of naturally-occurring barbs on their tongue. The barbs on a cat's tongue point backwards into the back of the mouth to allow them additional assistance in holding onto prey, but this is a double-edged sword, when it comes to string-like objects. Once these types of objects enter the oral cavity, the barbs act like velcro, gripping onto the surface of the item. This often renders the cat unable to expel the item from the oral cavity and consequently, they must swallow it. Another thing to remember is sewing thread can also be attached to a needle, which can puncture your cat's esophagus, intestinal tract or internal organs.
To avoid these problems, keep all string-like items safely stored out of the reach of your pets and don't use tinsel to decorate your Christmas tree, inspect your pet's toys regularly and only allow access to easily-damaged toys under direct supervision, kennel easily stressed or scared animals when you're away from home, restrict access to children's rooms and toys and to tempting items such as trash cans.