Cooper the Labrador Retriever enjoying a sunset walk
You may have heard about pesky grass seeds getting into ears and noses and causing problems for our four-legged friends, but this week, we have a very surprising case of this nature to tell you about!
Cooper is a handsome 3 year old Labrador retriever, who visited our Specialist surgeon Georgia Jenkins here at ChesterGates last month. He had been struggling with a cough for several months, and had undergone investigations at his referring veterinary practice. These revealed that Cooper had a foreign body located within a bronchus (a small tube which is part of the lower respiratory tract) in his left lung. ‘Foreign body’ is the term used for any piece of external material that ends up inside the body – this could be anything; common items include grass seeds, string, pieces of plastic and socks! In many cases, our patients eat the foreign body and it ends up lodged in their intestines – but in Cooper’s case, it was thought that he had accidentally inhaled the foreign body whilst running in a field, and it had travelled down his respiratory tract, all the way to his lung.
Georgia decided the best approach to remove Cooper’s foreign body would be to first try bronchoscopic retrieval. This involves inserting a long, flexible camera – called a bronchoscope – through Cooper’s mouth, into his trachea (windpipe) and down into his lungs. A thin pair of flexible forceps are used to grasp the foreign body, essentially pulling it out through the way it came in! Our Specialist medic Emily Fulton stepped up to help Georgia with this – our medics are ‘scope superstars’ and can expertly guide our scopes round all of the complex twists and turns of our patients’ respiratory and gastro-intestinal tracts, where required. Unfortunately, although Emily was able to retrieve small pieces of the foreign body, the majority remained firmly stuck within the walls of Cooper’s bronchus.
In order to remove the foreign body completely, Cooper needed surgery. Under the same anaesthetic, Cooper was prepared for surgery by our skilled theatre nursing team, and our Specialist anaesthetist Ffion performed a local anaesthetic block under ultrasound guidance to desensitise the surgical site and ensure Cooper remained pain-free during his procedure. Ffion also placed a cannula in an artery in Cooper’s leg to enable measurement of his blood pressure and blood oxygen levels throughout his surgery.
Georgia made an incision into Cooper’s chest in between his ribs in order to expose the affected lung tissue and remove it. Chest surgery is extremely delicate and requires a very high level of skill, as there are many large blood vessels (and of course, the heart!) that must be avoided during the surgical approach.
Once the affected lung tissue had been safely removed, it was cut into to reveal a very large ear of wheat. Our team was astonished at the size of this and how it had worked its way so far into Cooper’s lung!
Georgia lavaged Cooper’s chest with warm, sterile fluid to remove any remaining infection from the foreign body. She then skilfully closed up the incision and placed a small drain, so that residual air and fluid could be removed post-operatively. Cooper was monitored closely during his recovery to ensure his oxygen levels were sufficient. He was transferred to our cosy, comfortable hospital ward under the close watch of our caring nursing team, who watched over him overnight, making sure he was comfortable and progressing well. They took measurements of his vital parameters, assessed his pain levels, emptied his chest drain periodically and administered medications including pain relief drugs and antibiotics, as well as providing plenty of TLC and tasty food!
Cooper’s recovery progressed brilliantly. His chest drain was removed 24 hours after surgery as there was no remaining air or fluid, and very soon after surgery, he no longer needed any strong pain relief. He was discharged from hospital to his wonderful owners 2 days later.
Georgia saw Cooper back 2 weeks after his surgery. She was very pleased to hear he was doing excellently at home and his surgical site was fully healed. He will still receive reduced exercise for another 2 weeks as the internal healing takes place, but should be able to go back to his normal routine after this time.
We are so pleased with Cooper’s progress. (Who would have thought an ear of wheat could cause so much trouble!) He was a joy to care for in our hospital, and his owners have done an excellent job managing his post-operative recovery – thank you to them for allowing us to share his story.
WELL DONE COOPER!
