Toby's troublesome appetite lands him in trouble!
Toby is a brave old Jack Russell terrier who has had a foreign body obstruction not once but twice this year! The second time just after celebrating his 17th birthday. He is a known scavenger and despite his age it hasn't slowed down his appetite.
The first time Toby came into the hospital earlier this year his owner had seen him eating a large number of rotten apricots the day before. This had led to Toby feeling very miserable and uncomfortable in his stomach, and vomiting. The first step was to take a blood test which revealed no major abnormalities. The next step was to take x-rays and an abdominal ultrasound to screen for a possible obstruction. The results showed a 3cm mass located adjacent to Toby's stomach. An exploratory laparotomy (abdominal exploration) had to be performed to investigate the mass. We soon identified an apricot stone and large phytobezoar (compacted ball of vegetable matter) which were removed. After this procedure, we were very happy with Toby's recovery and he quickly returned to his normal self.
The second time around, Toby was brought into the clinic again feeling unsettled and uncomfortable in his abdomen. He had been eating a lot of grass but did not attempt to eat his dinner which was unusual for him. Unlike the first time there had been no vomiting but Toby's condition was deteriorating significantly. He was straining excessively with a very painful abdomen on palpation (physical examination). He was admitted straight to hospital and x-rays were taken which revealed a significant amount of gas dilated loops of intestines. This made us believe that Toby again had another foreign body obstruction.
We performed an exploratory laparotomy and this time halfway along the small intestines was an area of bright red and purple angry looking intestine. Within the intestine was a large mass of twisted twine-like grass that had knotted in on itself. The mass was removed and the intestine stitched closed. In cases like these where the blood supply has been cut off to an area of intestine there is always a concern post-operatively that the section of intestine could stop functioning.
Toby's recovery was not as speedy as the last time, reflecting the severity of his condition the second time around. Toby remained in hospital for a few days so our veterinary healthcare team could keep an eye on his operated area and to ensure that he was eating properly again before being sent home. It took a number of days of TLC and nursing care from his dedicated owner to get him eating normal amounts but finally Toby was back to his normal happy self, loving life, and trying to scavenge food again!