During our examination, we found that Sally’s abdomen was tender, her intestine was enlarged and she was mildly dehydrated. All other findings were normal.

Sally's abdominal xray – before and after

Routine lab tests and x-rays were non-specific and so a barium study was performed to identify any possible obstruction. Often patients will ingest objects which they are unable to pass through their stool. If the object becomes stuck in their intestinal tract creating a blockage, serious complications can arise. It was suspected that this may be the case for Sally, so we orally  administered some barium, a liquid which shows up on an x—ray and outlines the intestinal tract as it passes through, and then did a series of x-rays to follow the path of the barium.

The first image taken after the barium administration shows a normal stomach and flow into the small intestine. After several hours, the barium should have moved through the small intestines and be ready to be passed through the colon. Sally’s 3-hour image, however, is almost unchanged from the first image and demonstrates a complete intestinal blockage.

Sally’s abdominal xray – before and after

At this point surgery was recommended to remove the foreign object, which turned out to be a small plastic toy, and Sally went on to make a full recovery. The toy has now joined our collection of objects which we have removed from various patients’ intestines, including hair ribbons, thread/string, stones, socks, pantyhose, sewing needles, fabric pieces (even whole dish towels!), plastic wrappers, fruit pits – and many other things
which we were unable to identify.

Yes, pets will eat some crazy things , so if you notice your furry friend chewing on something he shouldn’t, take it away before he swallows something that could cause a problem.

“Sadie” is a 6 year-old female Cattle Dog that was running around playing in her family’s yard. When they went out to check on her, she was not using her right rear leg. Fearing something stuck in her paw Sadie was brought in for examination. Orthopedic examination and x-rays revealed laxity in her knee joint, or stifle, caused by tear of the cranial cruciate ligament.

After reviewing all the options, Sadie’s family elected surgical repair by Tibial Tuberosity Advancement, or TTA method. Our hospital staff collected some routine blood tests and surgery was scheduled with Dr. Weigand for the following day. After surgery Sadie was confined for several weeks followed by leash walking and other physical therapy. Her photos show her several weeks later with hair regrowth and feeling good enough to do yoga.

Cruciate ligament damage is one of the most common  acquired orthopedic injuries in dogs. Surgical repair is generally needed to provide a comfortable functional recovery for pets with a torn cruciate ligament. Sadie’s family was very diligent during her post-op healing and they carefully followed our physical therapy guidelines. They are very happy to have their Sadie back running and playing like normal.

This is what Sadies bionic knee looks like in an x-ray taken a few weeks post surgery with the bone fully healed.

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