Tucker's Experience With a Rare Ailment

Here’s a heads up for all gun dog owners. After a pheasant hunt last winter, my black lab, Tucker, developed a cough. The temperature was just below freezing, with wet snow flying, so I figured he had some wet pheasant feathers stuck in his throat. I thought a good drink of water would wash them out. However, that wasn’t the case.

We hunted on Saturday, and when the cough persisted through to Sunday, with Tucker occasionally throwing up a little bile, I knew it was time to call the vet. I got him in on Monday, and the vet prescribed antibiotics to see if that would clear him up. But after five days, Tucker was still coughing, so I scheduled another appointment.

This time, they took x-rays, but they didn’t show anything. The vet recommended I take Tucker to Cornell Companion Animal Medical Hospital for a scope to get a better look. However, they couldn’t schedule the procedure for two weeks, and I wasn’t willing to wait that long. So, I did some research and found Metzger Animal Hospital, a local vet with the right equipment to perform the scope.

I took Tucker there, bringing the x-rays from the previous vet, but they said they couldn’t use them. We had to do another x-ray. The vets first gave Tucker some food with dye to check if his esophagus and stomach were clear of any abnormalities. I was hesitant to get another x-ray, thinking the scope would give us the answer. But the vets suggested investigating the simpler and less expensive solution first.

When the new x-rays showed nothing, we finally proceeded with the scope. It revealed two pieces of Milo, curled into a U shape, lodged in his lungs right at the end of his esophagus. They removed the obstruction, and the cough cleared up within days.

Here are some of the x-rays and a photo of the plants that were removed from Tucker’s lungs. If something like this happens to your dog, my advice is to skip the antibiotics and x-rays and go straight for the scope. You might save some money, but more importantly, you'll avoid putting your dog through unnecessary discomfort and the risk of pneumonia.

The two pieces of milo found in Tucker's lungs.

An x-ray of the obstruction reveals nothing.

Here's the surgical instrument used for removal.

The scope image showing the obstruction.

-John Sarver, LCS Warehouse