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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Dog with pneumothorax and peritonitis from inhaled grass awn migration

By Hopper, Belinda J et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2004·Department of Veterinary Clinical Science, Australia·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Imaging diagnosis: pneumothorax and focal peritonitis in a dog due to migration of an inhaled grass awn.

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

A 1-year-old working Kelpie was brought to the vet with breathing problems and signs of abdominal pain after inhaling a grass awn, which is a sharp seed from grass. The vet used X-rays to find enlarged lymph nodes in the chest and then performed an abdominal ultrasound, which confirmed that the grass awn had moved from the lung into the abdomen, causing pneumothorax (air in the chest) and focal peritonitis (inflammation in the abdomen). Treatment likely involved surgery to remove the grass awn and address the complications. The dog was diagnosed and treated successfully.

People also search for: dog breathing problems · Kelpie abdominal pain · grass awn inhalation treatment

Abstract

A 1-year-old working Kelpie developed pneumothorax and focal peritonitis after inhalation of a grass awn that migrated from the lung, through the diaphragm, into the peritoneal cavity. Radiographic evidence of sternal lymph node enlargement was fundamental in the diagnosis of intraperitoneal disease and prompted abdominal ultrasound leading to definitive diagnosis.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15072145/