Outcomes of esophageal and gastric bone foreign bodies in dogs

Abstract

Background: Bone foreign bodies are commonly encountered in small animal practice. Esophageal bone foreign bodies (E-bFBs) warrant removal, whereas gastric bone foreign bodies might not. Objectives: Describe management and outcomes for dogs with esophageal or gastric bone foreign bodies. Animals: One hundred twenty-nine dogs with esophageal (n = 45) or gastric (n = 84) bone foreign bodies. Methods: Retrospective review of medical records. Results: Dogs with E-bFBs were younger than dogs with gastric bone foreign bodies (median age esophageal, 4 years [IQR 2-8]; median age gastric, 6 years [IQR 3-10]; P =.03), and had a higher bone cross-sectional area relative to body weight (median esophageal, 98.21 mm2/kg [IQR 48.25-142.6]; median gastric, 28.6 mm2/kg [IQR 17.25-64.28]; P