Journal of Veterinary and Applied Sciences

Abstract
Gastric obstruction is a common surgical emergency in small animal veterinary practice. Foreign bodies are the most common cause of bowel obstruction in small animals. All dogs are at risk of swallowing objects such as clothes, metal objects and even unchewed food materials. A case is reported of gastric obstruction in a one-year-old male dog presented at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, with a primary complaint of vomiting and anorexia. On physical examination, the dog showed signs of abdominal pain on palpation. Other signs noticed on physical examination included dehydration, pale mucous membrane and normal lymph nodes. Initial diagnostic approach was blood analysis and plain radiograph. None of them yielded relevant diagnostic information, hence the need for exploratory surgery. During the surgery, a triangular mass was located at the pylorus of the stomach. The mass was confirmed to be an uncooked piece of yam weighing 123.4 g. After removal of the foreign object, the stomach and the abdominal muscles were sutured using Lembert and simple continuous suture pattern, respectively. The skin was closed using horizontal mattress suture pattern. The procedure was uneventful and the dog made a full recovery from anaesthesia. Post-operative antibiotic (penicillin and ciprofloxacin) therapy was administered to the dog to prevent secondary bacterial infection. This case report described the clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, surgical procedure, and post-operative care in the management of gastric obstruction in a dog, and highlights the important role of exploratory surgery as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool in the management of a canine patient presenting with gastric obstruction.

Keywords: Gastric obstruction; Surgery; Foreign body in stomach; Exploratory surgery; Dog.

How to cite this article:
Eze CA, Anaga AO,Udegbunam RI, Eze CC, Njoku EN, Dimelu N, Okpe UE, Ezenwa KS, Nya IE, Abraham MC and Duhu DC(2024). Exploratory surgery as an invaluable diagnostic and therapeutic tool in the management of gastric obstruction in the dog: A case report. Journal of Veterinary and Applied Sciences, 14(1): 463 – 468.

*Correspondence: E-mail: duhudon@gmail.com Phone: +2347036267444

Exploratory surgery as an invaluable diagnostic and therapeutic tool in the management of gastric obstruction in the dog: A case report

Chinedu A. Eze ¹, Aruh O. Anaga ²,Rita I. Udegbunam¹, Chiagoziem C. Eze¹, Esther N. Njoku¹, Nmesoma Dimelu ¹, Ubasinachi E. Okpe¹, Kelechi S. Ezenwa¹, Ibro E. Nya¹, Melody C. Abraham ¹ and Donatus C. Duhu¹*
¹ Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
² Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.