Amber’s Close Call: Foreign Body Removal and the Importance of Early Intervention

Published: November 2024

One of the most dangerous issues that we come across in the veterinary world is the foreign body. They can very quickly become a situation which requires surgical intervention. Generally, when a dog ingests a foreign body, they have a long period of vomiting and stop eating, they can have abdominal pain, leading to us having to x-ray. We look for changes in the intestine, and sometimes we can see where the foreign body has gotten stuck. In the worst cases, we must go in and retrieve the items, before they have a chance to cause a perforation, resulting in life-threatening symptoms.  

Amber is a Jack Russell and came to the surgery in the opposite state. She was happy, and saying hello to me, showing very little in the way of symptoms. She was breathing slightly heavier on occasion and had a cough, that was getting worse as time went on. The owner mentioned that she had been chewing on a bone, and they think she may have swallowed a piece of cartilage that was on the end. She was showing no classic signs on intestinal blockage. But we decided to go ahead with some x-rays due to the increasing episodes of coughing.  

When we x-rayed Amber, we found that there was an area were the oesophagus met the stomach, that looked to have a different to the way it would normally. On the x-ray it looked more radio-opaque (brighter) than normal, so we wanted to look to see what was causing this change. We transferred to the main theatre to utilise the endoscope. This is where we pass a camera down her throat to see if we can find the cause of the issues.  

Before we reached the stomach, we came across the blockage. It was a piece of the cartilage. We then set about trying to remove it, first trying to get a loop around it to remove it. However, in the end, we were able to pass a straight laparoscopic forceps down the oesophagus and then pulled it free. You can see a video if this in our website or Facebook! 

Amber made quick, full recovery, with only very minor irritation to the oesophagus. This was thanks to the actions of owner, and bringing the dog in straight away when they thought something was wrong. This can be avoided, but only giving our pets specific treats and toys designed for them and not bones and other items that can cause blockages anywhere along the digestive track.