Hagrid was originally seen by our Internal Medicine department after his primary care veterinarian referred him for a month-long history of inappetance. A radiograph taken at the veterinarian revealed he had ingested a great deal of foreign material that was not being passed. Between the foreign material in his body and his lack of desire to eat for so long, Hagrid began experiencing liver failure due to inadequate nutrition and needed care immediately.
After qualifying for the Angel Fund, our IMed team performed an abdominal ultrasound which confirmed the gastric foreign body — which turned out to be a mass of elastic hair ties. The material in the stomach was carefully removed and an esophagostomy tube (E-tube) placed.
E-tubes allow a pet to be fed until its appetite or ability to eat has returned. It also makes giving oral medications much simpler. Food enters the tube and slowly passes into the esophagus, which then enters the stomach. Hagrid was in critical condition and spent nearly a full week at VREC, recovering from his very scary ordeal under the care of both our IMed and Critical Care departments. Once he stabilized and began gaining weight, he was discharged to his very happy family to continue healing at home. His owners report he has been steadily gaining weight and has returned to the feisty little guy they know and love.