Surgical management of an aspirated bone in a Shih Tzu terrier dog: a case report

Foreign bodies in the respiratory tract (trachea/bronchus) are very rare conditions; therefore, it is not on top of the list of differential diagnoses in patients with chronic or severe cough, but its occurrence should not be considered unexpected. A 2-year-old male Shih Tzu terrier mix dog (9.20 kg) with a history of dyspnea for 6 days was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. In the clinical examination, respiratory distress and pain during palpation of the neck area were observed. Radiology indicated a triangular radiopaque object (bone) in the trachea of the animal. The size of the foreign body, the weakness of the grasping forceps of the device, and the edges of the bone being stuck in the trachea caused tracheoscopy failure after 30 min of trying. Surgical procedure (tracheotomy) was effective to remove the foreign body using Noyes alligator tissue forceps. Aspirated foreign body is not a common condition. In the case of early recognition and immediate treatment of the aspirated foreign body, the prognosis is usually good.