Removal of a foreign body from the digestive tract (enterotomy)

What it involves

Enterotomy is an incision into the intestine to remove a foreign body; gastrotomy — the same in the stomach. If a section of intestine has already been damaged by pressure, it may need to be cut out and the healthy ends sutured together (enterectomy). The procedure saves the animal from obstruction, intestinal necrosis and peritonitis.

Dogs swallow socks, toys, bones, fruit stones, corn cobs; cats — thread, tape, hair bands and ribbons. Particularly dangerous are linear foreign bodies (thread, string), which bunch up the intestine like a concertina and cut through its wall from the inside.

Not every swallowed foreign body needs surgery. Before we decide on an operation, we check whether the object can be removed with an endoscope through the mouth — a method that needs no incision and allows quicker recovery. We operate when the object is beyond the reach of the endoscope, is sharp, or the intestine is already damaged.

When it is used

If you have seen your dog or cat swallow an object, or if signs of obstruction appear: persistent vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy, a painful abdomen. The sooner you come, the greater the chance of endoscopic removal instead of surgery and the lower the risk of intestinal necrosis.

This is urgent. During the practice’s opening hours, call and come straight away; outside them, go to a 24-hour animal hospital. Do not induce vomiting yourself, especially with sharp objects and thread.

Indications: symptoms that should prompt a visit

• The dog or cat vomits repeatedly, even after drinking water, and has not eaten for over ten hours.
• You saw the animal swallow a sock, a toy, a bone or another object.
• The cat was playing with thread or ribbon, and is now vomiting and lethargic.
• A piece of thread is sticking out from under the cat’s tongue — do not pull it.
• The animal has a painful, tense abdomen, adopts a “praying” position or hunches up.
• No stools for 2–3 days together with vomiting and weakness.
• The dog vomits blood or has tarry stools.

Conditions for which we use it in particular

Diagnostics beforehand

We start with a clinical examination, including a careful look at the mouth and, in cats, under the tongue. An abdominal X-ray shows radiopaque objects (bones, metal, stones) and indirect signs of obstruction — distended loops of intestine. With non-radiopaque objects (fabric, plastic) ultrasound is decisive: it shows the foreign body, assesses intestinal movement and the presence of free fluid indicating perforation.

A blood test assesses dehydration and electrolyte disturbances after vomiting — these determine how much fluid to give before anaesthesia. Pre-anaesthetic assessment according to STD-01, expedited, because time matters.

How it proceeds

Aftercare

After discharge: an easily digestible diet in small, frequent portions for 1–2 weeks, a collar, rest, medication according to the schedule. Follow-up after 2–3 days and suture removal after 10 days.

The first 3–5 days after the procedure are when the intestinal suture is at its weakest. Call immediately if vomiting has returned, the abdomen is painful, the dog or cat has a fever, is lethargic or refuses food. At home, put away socks, thread and any toys that have proved unsuitable.

Frequently asked questions