Today’s case is a 12-year-old female neutered domestic shorthaired cat who was attacked by a dog two days previously. What are those things??
Findings
There is extensive subcutaneous gas and soft tissue opacity on the left body wall, left thoracic limb, and sternum. These regions appear to be superimposed on the cranial mediastinum on the lateral projection. A small osseous body is present cranial and lateral to the left elbow.
In the thorax, there are two mineral opacities present, one in each principal bronchus to the left and right caudal lung lobes. These mineral opacities have the appearance of dental structures/teeth. Ill-defined interstitial to alveolar patterns surround these foreign bodies. The cardiovascular structures appear normal.
Differential Diagnosis
- Body wall trauma
- Inhaled foreign bodies (teeth) with secondary pneumonia
- Elbow osteoarthritis
Diagnosis
Inhaled foreign bodies—teeth
The left mandibular canine and molar were absent on oral examination. They were retrieved via endoscopy. The pneumonia worsened in the interval (1 day) between diagnosis and foreign body retrieval, but it resolved with antibiotic therapy.
