Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Airgun pellet blocking femoral artery in a dog
By Oren, Stephanie et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2026·Department of Anatomic Pathology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Femoral arterial embolism of an airgun pellet in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old male Labrador Retriever was found to have three airgun pellets embedded in his body after a veterinarian noticed unusual symptoms. Unfortunately, the dog was brought in for an autopsy, which revealed that one pellet had traveled through the body and lodged in the right femoral artery, causing severe internal bleeding. This type of injury, known as projectile embolism, is very rare in dogs. The case emphasizes the need for thorough imaging to identify such hidden injuries before making a diagnosis.
People also search for: dog airgun pellet injury · Labrador Retriever internal bleeding · projectile embolism in dogs
Abstract
A 4-y-old male Labrador Retriever was submitted for autopsy following radiographic examination by the owner, a veterinarian, which had revealed 3 embedded projectiles. Autopsy revealed a single entrance wound on the left flank. Using flap-by-flap dissection, the trajectory of the projectile was traced through the skin and lumbar musculature to its location where it had perforated the abdominal aorta, causing fatal acute hemoperitoneum. Remarkably, the copper-coated pellet (Diabolo) was found in the lumen of the right femoral artery, consistent with projectile embolism. No external trauma was present at that site. Embolization can occur when a projectile enters the vasculature and travels to a distal location, typically requiring low residual kinetic energy and a vessel of sufficient caliber. Although well documented in human forensic medicine, projectile embolism is exceedingly rare in veterinary cases. To our knowledge, embolization of a projectile in the femoral artery in a dog has not been reported previously. Our case highlights the importance of comprehensive radiographic imaging before autopsy and illustrates the diagnostic value of correlating radiologic findings with meticulous gross examination in veterinary forensic pathology cases.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41502116/