Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with vagus nerve tumor causing gagging and vomiting
By Shitamori, Fumitaka et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2025·Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor in the vagus nerve causing upper gastrointestinal signs in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old mixed-breed dog was brought in for severe gagging and chronic vomiting. After diagnosing a malignant tumor on the vagus nerve, the veterinarian performed surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. Although the tumor could not be completely removed, the dog's symptoms improved significantly after the surgery, and he lived for at least 514 days afterward. This case suggests that surgery can be helpful for dogs with similar tumors affecting the vagus nerve.
People also search for: dog gagging and vomiting · malignant tumor in dog · surgery for dog stomach issues · dog vagus nerve tumor treatment
Abstract
Peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs) originating from the vagus nerve are rare in dogs. This paper reports a canine case of malignant PNST originating from the vagus nerve, specifically the vagus-sympathetic trunk, which induced notable gagging and chronic vomiting. The clinical signs improved after surgery despite incomplete resection, and the dog achieved an overall survival of at least 514 days. These observations suggest that surgical intervention may be beneficial in dogs with malignant PNSTs originating from the vagus nerve.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40866224/