Meet Moose, a handsome, 8 month old 50 kg  Great Dane. Last month Moose was brought into the clinic because he was “not himself”. He was drooling, had an accident in his kennel, a distended tummy and difficulty breathing. After Dr MacMillan examined him  x-rays were taken which showed air around his lungs and a  long foreign body in his stomach and esophagus. When his owner saw the x-ray she knew what it was…… a Bully stick! His owner allows him to have raw hide Bully Sticks for treats but only under direct supervision. Earlier on that day Moose decided to be sneaky and stole a bully stick without his owner noticing.  

Dr. MacMillan made plans to perform surgery to remove the bully stick.   Some of the air in his chest was removed with a needle and syringe. Moose was then shaved and prepped as much as possible before putting him under general anesthetic. Once he was sleeping from the sedation a tube was to be placed into his trachea to deliver the gas anesthetic. While doing so, the end of the bully stick was seen at the back of his throat. It was carefully removed from his esophagus and stomach using clamps. We were surprised when the stick kept coming and coming and ended up measuring 29 ½ inches long!!  

This was great news and meant Moose did not need surgery! Once Moose recovered from his anesthetic he was sent home that night for his owner to carefully monitor. The air around his lungs was still a concern and because the Bully stick may have caused a tear in his esophagus or stomach Moose was taken to the College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon. There he was anesthetized to check his esophagus and stomach using endoscopy, a long mobile camera, and no tears were found! The remaining air was also removed from around his lungs and Moose went home the following day with strict instructions to rest.    

Moose is doing great, just like nothing ever happened!