Jet is a 9 month old Havapoo puppy who presented for episodes of dry heaving and abdominal discomfort. These episodes would last a few days and he would still eat and defecate normally. He would only vomit small amounts of foam during these times. Jet would respond to medication for irritation to his esophagus for a few days but then start with episodes again. Radiographs showed a full stomach despite not having eaten for several hours. This was suspicious however, the stomach can expand to hold a lot of material and it is difficult to determine if there is a foreign object hidden in it.
Jet seemed fine for a few days but then the episodes recurred and we decided to take a look in his stomach with endoscopy. Endpscopy is a nonsurgical procedure used to examine the digestive tract. With endoscopy Dr. Coughlin could see the esophagus looked fine, but upon entering the stomach there was a small stomach ulcer. On continued exploration, Dr. Coughlin found a foreign object at the exit of the stomach. Doctor and technicians worked together to try to grasp the object with endoscopic tools but it seemed stuck. After discussion with his owners, Jet went right into surgery. On opening his stomach Dr Coughlin quickly found the object and although it was a little stuck, removed it — a 6×2 inch wad of stuffing, string, hair and plastic pieces. Jet woke up and has been back to normal since surgery.