Howie presented as a very sick and sad Labrador Retriever, certainly not his normal self. Howie was known to ingest cat litter, BBQ grease and any food material he could find but was never one to eat some of the inanimate objects more commonly seen with foreign body ingestions and intestinal blockages. Diagnostics determined Howie was incredibly dehydrated and had marked electrolyte imbalances. X-rays determined a worrisome pattern to the intestines consistent with a full blockage. Howie was immediately started on supportive treatment and prepared for surgery. His entire intestine was affected with a “plication” that was affecting normal blood flow and compromising Howie to sepsis.
An enterotomy was performed and the foreign material removed. Surprisingly, this foreign material turned out to be all long grass reeds- something dogs chew on and swallow all the time. However, for Howie, we believe it was simply the volume he swallowed and the length of the grass strands that caused a significant impaction and blockage that would not have passed on its own.
Howie recovered quickly and despite his short stay with us, warmed everyone’s hearts with his wonderful disposition and super cute face!
