Pyloric Obstruction Induced by the Ingested Superball in Three Dogs

Abstract

Three dogs accidentally ingesting superball, radiolucent elastic ball, were successfully treated by gastrotomy and intensive cares. All dogs ingesting the superballs had shown severe vomiting, and two of them were in dangerous condition by severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance at admission. Furthermore, the dog of case 1 showed mild renal insufficiency and unconsciousness. Radiography revealed severe gastric dilation in the dog of case 2 that suggested complete obstruction of the pylorus by the ingested superball.
Foreign bodies were not conclusively diagnosed by plain radiography, however, their presence was demonstrated on positive contrast films. The superballs were located at the pyloric portion of the stomach in 2 cases (cases 1 and 2), and at the corpus of the stomach in a case (case 3) . These findings suggests that the superball accidentally ingested by the dog may have the risk to obstruct the pylorus and cause severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance seen in these cases. After the intensive cares mainly with intravenous electrolyte solution therapy, the gastric foreign bodies were removed by gastrotomy. The general condition of the affected dogs recovered soon after the operation.