Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How vets removed stuck feeding tubes from two male dogs' urethras
By Seo, Minjun et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2025·From Kyungpook National University College of Veterinary Medicine, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Nonsurgical Removal of Improvised Nasogastric Tubes Entrapped in the Urethra in Two Male Dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two male dogs were brought in after a feeding tube got stuck in their urethra during attempts to use it as a catheter. The vets confirmed the entrapment with X-rays and decided to sedate the dogs for a safe removal. They used a special technique that involved inserting another catheter and gently flushing saline to help extract the stuck tube. Thankfully, both dogs recovered well without any damage to their urethra or other complications.
People also search for: dog urethra problems · feeding tube stuck in dog · how to remove catheter from dog
Abstract
In two castrated male dogs, entrapment of a nasogastric feeding tube, which had been used as an improvised urethral catheter, occurred during intermittent urethral catheterization. In both cases, multiple failed attempts to remove the catheter raised concerns about catheter entrapment, which was subsequently confirmed via abdominal radiography. To facilitate removal, both dogs were placed under deep sedation using IV butorphanol (0.3 mg/kg) and propofol titrated to effect. A retrograde over-the-needle catheter was inserted alongside the entrapped nasogastric tube, and the urethral orifice was manually narrowed as much as possible. While applying rectal compression of the urethra, saline was infused through the over-the-needle catheter to dilate the urethra, allowing for the gentle extraction of the entrapped tube. Following entrapped tube removal, no urethral trauma or adverse effects were observed. These cases highlight the risks associated with using nonstandard materials, such as nasogastric feeding tubes, for urethral catheterization and introduces a novel nonsurgical technique for managing urethral catheter entrapment in veterinary practice.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40531084/