MattieWhen Mattie, a two-year-old Boykin Spaniel, began vomiting, acting lethargic and showing no interest in eating, her owners thought she might have eaten something other than food. Recognizing the classic symptoms of a foreign body in her stomach or intestines, Mattie’s family veterinarian referred her to Western Carolina Regional Animal Hospital for an immediate endoscopic exam.

Timing was critical because a foreign body in the stomach can often be located and removed using an endoscope. But if the material has time to pass from the stomach to the intestines, surgery is required to remove it. Intestinal surgery involves a difficult recovery for the pet and can be substantially more expensive than an endoscopic procedure.

With Mattie under anesthesia and her vital signs closely monitored by a veterinary nurse, Dr. Fred Rosen and his assistant began the journey into her stomach with the endoscope. A camera at the tip of the endoscope displayed every move on a computer monitor. Finally a two-centimeter piece of plastic was spotted lodged in the wall of the pyloric sphincter, the entrance to the small intestine. Using endoscopic tools, Dr. Rosen was able to remove the foreign body – probably part of a camera case that Mattie had gotten into.

Mattie’s owners report that she recovered quickly from the endoscopic procedure, was ready to eat when they got home from Western Carolina Regional Animal Hospital & Veterinary Emergency Hospital, and is doing great.

Getting Mattie ready for endoscopic procedure	Spotting the foreign body
Looking for the problem	The foreign body retrieved
	A plastic Luggage tag 2 inches wide