This month’s Bravery award goes to none other than six-year-old French Bulldog Jean Claude!  A few weeks back, Jean Claude visited the team at Berwick after having had many episodes of vomiting and inappetence, his owners being doubly concerned knowing that a sock had been missing since the start of the week.  Being a known scavenger and no stranger to requiring surgery to remove certain household items, we were all worried that Jeanclaude may have gobbled up another naughty snack and be in dire straits once again!

After radiographs were taken of Jean Claude’s abdomen, an object of material opacity was extremely clear in the intestine (this is not always the case), along with some very suspicious gastric contents. It meant that without going straight to surgery, Jean Claude would likely to continue to deteriorate very quickly.  After the owners consented for after-hours surgery to take place, Dr. Isabelle and the team went straight in to remove the nasty object, being surprised to find not only the missing sock in Jeanclaude’s jejunum (the segment of intestine located between the duodenum and the ileum), but also a shoe sole in his stomach!! Luckily for the little Frenchie, there was no delay in getting him the exploratory laparotomy that he needed.

An exploratory laparotomy in an animal is a surgical procedure in which a veterinarian makes an incision into the abdominal cavity to visually inspect and assess the organs and structures within. The decision to perform this surgery is typically based on the animal’s clinical signs, diagnostic imaging, and other factors.  This type of surgery is often performed to investigate and address various abdominal issues that cannot be diagnosed or treated through less invasive means.

Ingested foreign bodies can cause serious complications such as intestinal obstruction, perforation, or damage to internal organs. Some signs to watch out for of a potential foreign body ingestion and obstruction are; lethargy, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or constipation, straining to defecate, visible distress, change in behaviour, coughing and gagging, or appearing to be dehydrated.  Early intervention is essential to improve the chances of a positive outcome and prevent complications for your pet.

For little Jean Claude, it meant adding another notch to his surgical belt and beating the odds once again!  We hope against hope that he has learnt his lesson this time and just sticks to good old dog food from now on.  We are so happy that you are going so well at home now little man, and as much as we love seeing your gorgeous face, a break from your antics would be much appreciated, especially we imagine, for your parents!  Brave boy Jean Claude!