Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgery to fix swallowing blockage in 4-month-old German shepherd
By Duguay, Marco T et al.·Published in Veterinary medicine and science·2023·Atlantic Veterinary College Department of Companion Animal Surgery, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Surgical treatment of a persistent right aortic arch with concurrent patent ductus arteriosus in a 4-month-old German shepherd dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-month-old female German shepherd was brought in because she was regurgitating food after eating, had a swollen throat, and wasn't gaining weight despite eating a lot. Tests revealed that she had a persistent right aortic arch and a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), which were pressing on her esophagus and causing her symptoms. The vet performed surgery to fix the PDA, and although she developed mild aspiration pneumonia afterward, it was treated successfully with antibiotics. A year later, her owners reported that she no longer had any regurgitation issues.
People also search for: German shepherd regurgitation treatment · puppy aspiration pneumonia recovery · patent ductus arteriosus surgery outcome
Abstract
A 4-month-old intact female German shepherd dog was presented with a history of postprandial regurgitation, a palpably distended cervical oesophagus after eating, and poor weight gain despite a ravenous appetite. Computed tomography angiography, esophagoscopy and echocardiography identified a persistent right aortic arch with a concurrent patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) causing extraluminal oesophageal compression leading to marked segmental megaoesophagus. A heart murmur was not detectable. A left lateral thoracotomy was performed to ligate and transect the PDA without complication. The dog was discharged with mild aspiration pneumonia which resolved with antimicrobial therapy. Twelve months post-surgery the owners reported no regurgitation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37243911/