Sunday, July 18, 2010

Missing Jewels


Many people who know me have figured out that I like jewelry, especially the kind that includes diamonds. When I was thinking about topics, this case just popped into mind.

A couple of years ago, my staff booked an appointment for a dog that may have eaten a foreign body. I entered the room to find Horatio, a wiggling spaniel, happily waiting to see me. His owner, on the other hand, was upset because she was afraid he had once again eaten something he shouldn’t have. Horatio is not a picky eater and had recently decided that shiny things were his new snack of choice. The item that was missing today was his owner’s brand new engagement ring.

Knowing Horatio, we decided to do a radiograph to see if he’d actually eaten it and if so, where it was in his abdomen. You can imagine my surprise to see not just any ring, but a huge 2 carat diamond ring in his colon. Since the colon is wider than the small intestines I knew there would be no risk to Horatio and he would be able to pass it very easily.

I sent him home to be closely observed. The next morning, we received a call from the owners to say the ring had been retrieved without incident. Apparently Horatio watched his humans with a bit of puzzlement as they “dissected his feces” instead of just bagging it. After some extensive cleaning, the ring was brought in for me to see. It looked much better on his owner’s hand than in Horatio’s abdomen!

2 comments:

  1. Was the ring in Horatio's colon in this x-ray? I am wondering because my mini aussie swallowed a piece of non-edible thermoplastic nylabone last week. On x-ray we can see the faint shadow of the foreign body in her small intestine. I really want to know if it can pass- I have rooted thru every bowel movement for the last 48 hours with no luck.
    How large is the valve from small intestine to colon? Compared to stomach valve size?
    How does one balance the watch and wait approach vs. "semi-elective" surgery before infection or perforation occurs?

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  2. Morning,
    The ring in this radiograph was in the descending colon so there was absolutely no worry about him being able to pass it himself. If you have yet to see any proof of your dog passing the piece of nylabone, I would highly recommend that you contact your veterinarian to have another radiograph performed to see if there has been any movement or not. This will allow you to make the decision to cut or not.
    Good luck!

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