Canine Stomach Surgery
If your dog is sick or has ingested a foreign body, sometimes stomach surgery is necessary. In some situations, your veterinarian will know exactly what is affecting your dog, while in other instances the surgery is exploratory.
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Identification
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According to PetPlace.com, many gastric problems arise when a dog eats something like a stuffed or plastic toy or other small item. This foreign body can become lodged in the stomach and obstruct digestion. Dogs also suffer from a variety of organic abdominal ailments, from chronic reflux to cancer. Only a thorough exam and diagnostic testing can give your veterinarian the background to proceed to surgery.
Significance
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Stomach surgery is most often recommended as a last recourse. In the case of an ingested object, your veterinarian will try to locate and remove the object with an endoscope, but this procedure is not always successful. Even if no object is found, endoscopy can reveal other conditions that may require surgery for repair, such as esophageal hernia or other anatomical variants that interfere with the normal digestive process.
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Prep and Introductory process
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Your dog will be placed under anesthesia and its abdominal area shaved before the procedure. The veterinarian will make an incision in the abdomen and pull out the stomach.
Foreign body treatment
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Once the foreign body is located in the stomach, the veterinarian will make an incision in the organ and pull out the foreign body. He will then suture up both the stomach and the abdomen. If the problem is not due to a foreign body, the veterinary surgeon will carefully examine the stomach and intestines for swelling, infection or lesions and perform appropriate surgical intervention as necessary.
Time Frame
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According to PetPlace, the dog will be sent home once it can eat and drink again. The sutures are most often removed one to two weeks following the surgery.
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