Anyone else see airway FBs this time of year?

Re: Anyone else see airway FBs this time of year?

scarlet — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:38:29 GMT

we've just sent a borzoi for referral with pyothorax from suspected lung fb.

Re: Anyone else see airway FBs this time of year?

Ivan Crotaz — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:48:02 GMT

I've been seeing a rabbit on and off for about a year with recurrent URT infections. It had an abscess that suddenly developed just dorsal to the nostrils - I lanced it and saw something sticking out of the abscess wall, about 1/2mm. Turned out to be the end of a 4 inch piece of hay that had been stuck in the turbinates. Rabbit is now better...

Re: Anyone else see airway FBs this time of year?

Mike Martin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:33:18 GMT

I've added an Endoscopic movie for your interest

Re: Anyone else see airway FBs this time of year?

Stephen Ashman — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:19:02 GMT

Good stories! I love threads like this one

Re: Anyone else see airway FBs this time of year?

Gillian Mostyn — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:40:14 GMT

In my past life as a cattle vet I saw a dysphagic bull (can't remember the breed but do remember it was it was huge and very angry) that the farmer was convinced had wooden tongue. I must have been young and brave because I didn't agree with him (he wasn't impressed) and instead insisted it was crated to allow me to do the 'tongue gagging' thing and plunged my arm down into the depths. Pulled out a 30cm length of twig and have never been so pleased to see a farmer gobsmacked!! Bull was a lot happier afterwards too.

Re: Anyone else see airway FBs this time of year?

Martin Jones — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:22:44 GMT

OK, I'll bite (pardon the pun).

In my previous incarnation as a cattle vet, we'd often see cows with unilateral nasal discharge at this time of year, or perhaps a bit later, which were always put down to early housing respiratory disease, or allergic reactions to feed etc - until I got a good tip one day and pushed a long pair of forceps up the nostril - to extract a snapped-off blackberry cane. I saw a few of these. Late summer itchy noses - and you can fill in the rest.

The most memorable one, though, was a prize bullock which had permanent cough, swallowing difficulties, FOUL bilateral nasal discharge and conjunctivitis. It was strongly suspected of having MD, but was too valuable to let go - and absolutely refused to die. My boss saw it, my colleague saw it, I saw it - and nobody could make it better. Finally, my colleague saw it again, pronounced it beyond saving and turned away.

At which point, it dropped its head, coughed - and out dropped a tennis ball. It then went on fine. It was about this time that I developed the technique of tongue gagging in order to get my arm in a cow's mouth up to the elbow. This helped to diagnose a number of subsequent FBs (mainly potato IIRC), and probably impressed farmers more than pretty much anything else I ever did.

Re: Anyone else see airway FBs this time of year?

Stephen Ashman — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:02:21 GMT

No more airway FB stories?

Re: Anyone else see airway FBs this time of year?

Mike Martin — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 08:43:56 GMT

[quote user="Stephen Ashman"]

Must've been quite a shot for the dog to line its nostril up with that while running at speed!

[/quote]

I too am amazed & puzzled how this happens. There just happens to be a barley awn falling from its attachment, pointing in the direction of the dogs larynx, as the dog happens to have his mouth and larynx fully open and the breathe in at the right time.

Re: Anyone else see airway FBs this time of year?

Stephen Ashman — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:29:34 GMT

I got a big grass awn from deep within a lab puppy's nose a couple of weeks ago and then a long length (about 4 inches) of a dry fern stem out of springer's nose on Monday. The springer just appeared out of the undergrowth with some poking out of it's nose. When the owner tried to retrieve it the stem snapped just inside the nostril. Must've been quite a shot for the dog to line its nostril up with that while running at speed!

Nothing from deeper down recently though. I think we had one a similar time last year in the practice.