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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Cockatoo with wire stuck in stomach causing lethargy and vomiting

By Hoefer, Heidi & Levitan, Diane·Published in Journal of avian medicine and surgery·2013·Island Exotic Veterinary Care, United States·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Perforating foreign body in the ventriculus of an umbrella cockatoo (Cacatua alba).

Species:
bird
Stomach & digestionBirds

Plain-English summary

A 4-year-old male umbrella cockatoo was brought to the vet because he was lethargic, not eating, and regurgitating for two days. X-rays showed he had swallowed several foreign objects, including two wires that were causing serious problems in his stomach and liver. The vet was able to remove one wire using an endoscope, but the second wire required surgery to extract it from the liver. Although the bird initially recovered from the surgery, he sadly passed away three months later due to complications from the injury.

People also search for: umbrella cockatoo regurgitation · foreign body ingestion in birds · bird surgery recovery · cockatoo not eating · bird liver problems

Abstract

A 4-year-old male umbrella cockatoo (Cacatua alba) with a history of ingestion of foreign material from chewing on a household appliance presented for lethargy, inappetance, and regurgitation of 2 days duration. Foreign bodies identified on radiograph included a wire 2 cm in length in the proventriculus, a wire 3 cm in length in the ventriculus, and several pieces of rubber and plastic throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Diagnosis of a perforating ventricular foreign body was made through plain and contrast radiography. The proventricular wire was removed endoscopically but endoscopic retrieval was not successful in locating the ventricular wire. A ventriculotomy was done to remove the wire, which had perforated the ventriculus cranially and imbedded into the parenchyma of the liver. The wire was extracted from the center of a large nonresectable granuloma that incorporated the left liver lobe. The bird recovered from surgery but died from complications 3 months later. Postmortem examination revealed localized coelomitis and hepatic necrosis associated with the perforation.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23971221/