4 year old Brittany Spaniel

Discussion

The foreign material in the stomach was indicative of a foreign body obstruction. The dilated small intestine was due to the more distal jejunal piece of corn cob. Pyloric obstruction often results in a more dilated and fluid filled stomach, except if the animal has been vomiting, or there is a partial obstruction.
The key to diagnosing this case is in observing the two distinct populations of small intestine; enlarged greater than 1.5x the height of a vertebral body, and more normal appearing intestine.
Ultrasound images confirm the presence of “hard shadowing”, or attenuating, foreign material in the small intestine. Gas generally produces “dirty” shadowing, or multiple reverberation artifacts.