ABSTRACT OF THE WEEK

Journal of herpetological medicine and surgery
Volume 32 | Issue 4 (December 2022)

Endoscope-Guided Marble Foreign Body Removal Technique in an Inland Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)

J Herpetol Med Surg. December 2022;32(4):253-258. 27 Refs

Eric M Littman¹, Kyra J Berg, Robyn N Goldberg, David Sanchez-Migallon Guzman

¹ William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California–Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.

Author Abstract

A 1-yr-old intact female inland bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) was presented approximately 24 h after observed ingestion of a marble. Orthogonal whole-body radiographs with and without contrast revealed a spherical radiopaque foreign body within the gastric lumen and no passage of contrast material beyond the foreign body, suggestive of pyloric outflow obstruction. The complete blood count showed mild basophilia, and plasma biochemical analysis revealed a moderately elevated creatine kinase. The bearded dragon was placed under general anesthesia, and a rigid endoscope was used to visualize the foreign body at the level of the pylorus. The marble foreign body was suctioned and removed orally using a red rubber catheter and a Luer-lock syringe. The patient recovered uneventfully from the procedure and was sent home with sucralfate and omeprazole after 2 days of hospitalization. This report provides a novel, nonsurgical method for removing smooth spherical foreign bodies from the proximal gastrointestinal tract of bearded dragons. The technique may apply to various small-to-medium–sized reptiles or amphibians that present with spherical foreign bodies.

Keywords

bearded dragon, Endoscopy, foreign body, novel retrieval technique, Pogona vitticeps

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