Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with head and neck swelling from tight scar tissue
By Westermeyer, Hans D et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2009·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Head and neck swelling due to a circumferential cicatricial scar in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old mixed-breed dog was brought to the vet because his head was swelling, he was having trouble exercising, and he was breathing harder than usual for about a month. The vet found that the swelling was caused by a tight scar around his neck from a previous surgery to remove a foreign object. The dog underwent surgery to remove the scar tissue, and after two months, he fully recovered with no more symptoms. This case highlights the importance of careful wound care after surgeries to prevent excessive scarring.
People also search for: dog head swelling · mixed-breed dog breathing problems · dog surgery recovery care
Abstract
A 4-year-old, castrated male, mixed-breed dog was evaluated because of progressive head swelling, exercise intolerance, and increasing respiratory effort of 1 month's duration. Physical examination and radiographs revealed severe edema of the head and face that was cranial to a circumferential, midcervical constriction caused by scarring related to previous removal of a foreign body. Surgical en bloc resection of the cicatricial tissue was performed, and clinical signs resolved completely after 2 months. Histopathology showed ongoing inflammation and hairs within a fibrous band. This case emphasizes that incomplete wound debridement may lead to excessive fibrous tissue proliferation and that thorough wound examination and debridement should be performed after removing circumferential cervical foreign bodies to ensure complete healing.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19122065/