Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Removing stuck bones and fishhooks from dogs' lower esophagus surgery
By Delligianni, Anna et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2020·From the Clinic of Companion Animals, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Transdiaphragmatic Gastrotomy for the Extraction of Distal Esophageal Foreign Bodies in 13 Dogs (1997-2016).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 13 dogs, mostly West Highland white terriers, had trouble swallowing due to foreign objects stuck in their esophagus, like fishhooks and animal bones. After struggling with symptoms for about 6 days, they underwent a surgical procedure called transdiaphragmatic gastrotomy to remove the obstructions. Most of the dogs recovered well, with 12 out of 13 surviving and showing no further issues after about 17 months. However, one dog faced complications and unfortunately passed away due to an infection. Overall, this surgery proved to be an effective way to treat these cases.
People also search for: dog swallowing problems · foreign body in dog esophagus · West Highland white terrier surgery · esophageal obstruction treatment for dogs
Abstract
The records of 13 dogs with distal esophageal foreign body obstruction not amenable to endoscopic management that had transdiaphragmatic gastrotomy (TG) for the foreign body extraction were reviewed. West Highland white terriers were over-represented. Mean age of the dogs at presentation was 38.6 mo, and mean duration of clinical signs associated with esophageal foreign bodies was 5.8 days. A TG was performed via an eighth or ninth left intercostal thoracotomy, and clinical results were successful in 12 dogs. In 1 dog, gastrotomy failed to retrieve a foreign body and esophagotomy was performed. Foreign bodies that were removed included 3 fishhooks and 10 animal bones. Postoperatively, all dogs developed esophagitis, 1 dog showed esophageal stricture, and 1 dog died of pyothorax associated with esophageal perforation 1 day postsurgery. Overall, 12 dogs survived and were free of clinical signs after a median follow-up time of 17 mo. TG is an effective surgical technique for the retrieval of distal esophageal foreign bodies.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31715114/