Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Medical treatment success and outcomes for dogs with stomach foreign
By Carrillo, Alyssa J et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2024·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Clinical features and outcomes of dogs with attempted medical management for discrete gastrointestinal foreign material: 68 cases (2018-2023).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 68 dogs with gastrointestinal foreign bodies (GIFB) were treated at a veterinary hospital, where some were managed without surgery. About 47% of the dogs passed the foreign material successfully through their system with medical management, while others required surgery or had serious complications. Dogs that had non-linear foreign bodies (like toys or clothing) were more likely to need surgical intervention. The study suggests that conservative treatment can be a viable option for certain cases, depending on the dog's condition and the type of foreign body involved.
People also search for: dog swallowing foreign object treatment · signs of gastrointestinal blockage in dogs · dog surgery for foreign body removal
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively describe clinical characteristics of canine gastrointestinal foreign bodies (GIFB) that were successfully and unsuccessfully managed conservatively. ANIMALS: 68 client-owned dogs presented to the Texas A&M Small Animal Teaching Hospital between January 1, 2018, and October 1, 2023, for GIFB where medical management was attempted. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: Medical records were reviewed for signalment, history, physical examination, bloodwork, diagnostic imaging, foreign body type, location, treatments, and outcome. Success was defined as the passage of the foreign body through the colon, while failure was defined as requiring surgery, endoscopy, or euthanasia. RESULTS: Medical management was successful in 32 cases (47%; 95% CI, 0.32 to 0.66). Gastric dilation resolved in all success cases (n = 5 [100%]; 95% CI, 0.32 to 2.3) but did not resolve in any failure cases (13 [0%]). Small intestinal dilation resolved in all success cases (n = 13 [100%]; 95% CI, 0.53 to 1.7) but progressed in most failure cases (9 [75%]; 95% CI, 0.34 to 1.4). In the success group, 31 GIFB were nonlinear (96.9%; 95% CI, 0.66 to 1.4), while 1 was linear (3.1%; 95% CI, 0.001 to 0.17). In the failure group, 29 GIFB were nonlinear (80.6%; 95% CI, 0.54 to 1.16), while 7 were linear (19.4%; 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.4). Of the cases that elected surgery (n = 29 [42.7%]; 95% CI, 0.29 to 0.61), resection and anastomosis was performed in 3 cases (10.3%; 95% CI, 0.02 to 0.3). All cases that required resection and anastomosis were nonlinear GIFB. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Conservative management of GIFB provides a feasible treatment option and may be considered based on presentation, foreign body location, hemodynamic stability of the patient, diagnostic imaging, and type of foreign body.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38823414/