The Patient
Radar, a 4-year-old male German Shepherd dog presented in respiratory distress. Radar's owner noted that he began to foam at the mouth and had increased respiratory effort during a game of fetch. The owner noted that Radar's ball had gone missing as well and brought Radar into the veterinary clinic immediately suspecting Radar had ingested and was now choking on the ball.
The Case
Upon presentation 
to the clinic Radar was able to walk through the doors on his own but foam was seen coming out of both sides of his mouth and he had mildly increased respiratory noise coming from his throat. Looking towards the back of Radar's throat with the help of a light a very small portion of a blue ball could be seen lodged in his throat. Thankfully, due to the most ideal positioning of the ball in the patient's throat, the patient was able to breathe through a small hole through the center of the ball.
The Treatment Plan
Radar was mildly sedated to reduce his stress during handling and manipulation of the ball. After restraining the patient on his side and opening his mouth, the ball was able to be pushed up out of the throat with pressure on the outside of his neck. Radar was immediately able to breathe better and was placed on supplemental oxygen while he caught his breath.
The Outcome
The patient was sent home with some anti-inflammatories to soothe his airway and prophylactic antibiotics for potential aspiration during his choking episodes. Radar was sent on his way walking out of the with a very relieved owner.
Following Up
Two weeks after this case, our patient's owner stopped by to visit our team. Radar is doing great at home. He is back to his playful bouncy self.Â