Daisey Dougherty #2115 (tracheal foxtail)

Daisey is a 5 year old female Collie Mix dog. She presented to the Atascadero Pet Hospital and Emergency Center with a day history of coughing, having a hard time breathing, not eating and acting uncomfortable. Her physical exam also found a fever. Dr. Edsall was very concerned about the possibility of a foxtail being inhaled and ordered chest radiographs. The chest radiographs showed a small area of pneumonia. Dr. Polina Vishkautsan performed a bronchoscopy examination and to all of our surprise found not one foxtail, but a stock with many foxtails attached in the trachea and deeper into the airways of the lung. Luckily the plant material came out in one piece. Daisey was treated for the pneumonia with oral antibiotics after the foxtails and plant material where removed.

Had this foreign body been left in place Daisey would likely have had worsening pneumonia and potentially lost her life. In this case it was the owner's keen observations and proactive behavior, bringing Daisey to us to be examined, that saved her life.

Following are pictures through the bronchoscope of this amazing foreign body in the trachea. In the second picture you can see a silver instrument that was introduced down the scope grabbing the plant material for retrieval.