Enterotomy

Here at the Jane Animal Hospital in Toronto, our staff of veterinarians is familiar with a wide variety of pet illnesses. The majority of our patients can be treated with veterinary care quickly and sent home happier and healthier. One of the more serious conditions we face is when an animal, most often a dog, comes in with an intestinal blockage. This blockage can occur for a couple of different reasons.

Causes of Intestinal Blockage

One of the biggest causes of intestinal blockage is your pet ingesting something that isn't meant to be food. This is seen more often in dogs than cats because some dogs will eat anything they can swallow. Poisoning is also a high risk for these animals. If an object is small, it may simply work its way through your pet's digestive system and be discarded. In some cases, it may become twisted so it doesn't fit through the intestine or it is too large to pass. This can cause extreme distress for your pet. In some cases, a blockage can happen when the waste matter inside your pet becomes hardened and can't be passed. Sometimes a laxative may help but in other cases, more drastic measures may be needed. In both cases, your veterinarian may need to perform an enterotomy.

Performing an Enterotomy

During an enterotomy, your pet will be given an anesthetic. Once asleep, the veterinarian will make an incision in the abdomen to access the small intestine. They will then make another incision where the foreign object is located and gently remove it. Next comes stitching up the incisions and recovery. Your pet will need to spend a couple of days in the animal hospital, so they can be monitored. Once you take your pet home, there will need to be a time of limited activity until the incision completely heals. Once given the okay after a follow-up visit, your pet should be able to do all the things they did before the surgery. The prognosis is typically excellent.

A Veterinarian You Can Count On

Jane Animal Hospital in Toronto is a place you can count on to help keep your four-legged friend happy and healthy. We understand that during a medical emergency, both you and your pet may be stressed, and we do all that we can to help ease that stress. Contact us for all of your pet health needs for everything from routine wellness check-ups to needing more extensive veterinary care.