Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ultrasound helps remove plant awns causing abscesses in dogs
By Della Santa, Daniele et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2008·Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ultrasound-guided retrieval of plant awns.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of six dogs with skin abscesses caused by plant awns (sharp grass seeds) underwent a new procedure using ultrasound to locate and remove the foreign objects. This method allowed the veterinarians to successfully retrieve the plant awns without complications, and none of the dogs experienced a recurrence of the abscesses afterward. The ultrasound-guided retrieval proved to be a safe and effective option for treating these cases.
People also search for: dog abscess treatment · plant awn removal in dogs · ultrasound for dog foreign body retrieval
Abstract
In dogs, surgical removal of plant awns causing a foreign body granuloma or abscess may be challenging. The inability to localize the foreign body during surgical removal often leads to abscess recurrence. In this report, we describe ultrasound-guided retrieval as an alternative to standard surgical retrieval in animals where the plant awn can be identified sonographically. This procedure was used in six dogs with a superficial abscess due to a plant awn, and in all dogs the foreign body was successfully retrieved with Hartmann forceps. No complication was observed and no abscess recurred. Minimally invasive ultrasound-guided plant awn retrieval appears to be a safe effective method of retrieving superficially located plant awns in the dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18833960/