Estudio epidemiológico sobre la ingesta de anzuelos en perros y gatos en Valencia y su eficacia de extracción por endoscopia

Abstract

Objectives The ingestion of foreign bodies is frequent in dogs and cats. In coastal cities, the hook ingestion is frequent in dogs and sporadic in cats. Most veterinary publications are epidemiological studies that do not go into detail on the type of foreign bodies ingested, neither on their treatment and alternatives. In this work we establish the following objectives: 1. To carry out a retrospective epidemiological study on the ingestion of fishhooks in pets, in the Autonomous Community of Valencia. 2. To study the different clinical aspects of the pathology associated with this type of foreign body. 3. To evaluate the different therapeutic options and to run algorithms of actions in the case of ingestion of a fishhook. 4. Description of the endoscopic techniques for fishhook extraction. Methodology A retrospective study was carried out in the Autonomous Community of Valencia over 15 years, including 131 animals in where the ingestion of one or more hooks was confirmed. Results Hook ingestion is 64.5 times more frequent in dogs than in cats; 98.44% of the animals in this study were dogs. Unlike other types of foreign bodies, in the case of fishhooks, age, breed, weight or the time elapsed between ingestion and the treatment of the animal does not influence, either the frequency of events found, neither the success or failure of the treatment or the subsequent evolution of the patient. In 99% of the cases attended, the pet owners witnessed the ingestion of the hooks, and in all cases the ingestion was confirmed in a radiological test. A plain radiography served as a diagnostic tool in all cases. Hand-held metal detectors, which are used in paediatric medicine for the diagnosis of metallic foreign bodies, are not very effective in the case of fishhooks detection. The symptomatology associated with the ingestion of fishhooks is not as pronounced as in other types of foreign bodies, 53.4% of the animals were asymptomatic and 32.8% presented a mild symptomatology. In Eighty-six percent of the hooks in this study were removed using endoscopy, although other options such as induction of vomiting or the monitoring of the passage of the foreign body was also considered. All hooks located in the intestine were defecated without causing any intestinal perforation. In the presence of an intestinal hook, the surveillance while passing the object is more appropriate than performing a surgery to an asymptomatic animal to. In total, 12.98% of the hooks were defecated. Endoscopy is the best therapeutic option in the event of ingestion of a fishhook; it was an effective technique to achieve a successful resolution in 98.21% of the cases. The joint use of rigid and flexible endoscopy increases the effectiveness of the extraction. Rigid endoscopy was used in 37.71% of the cases, while flexible endoscopy in 60.71% and a combination of both in 3.57%. The average extraction time was eleven minutes. There were no iatrogenic perforations during endoscopy operations. There were no complications directly attributable to endoscopy and the survival rate was 100%. There were no deaths attributed to hook ingestion, so this type of foreign body cannot be considered as dangerous as other types. Conclusions 1. In Valencia, because of abandonment by fishermen areas on the beaches, the ingestion of hooks in dogs is frequent. At present, in our veterinary centre, this foreign body is the most frequent found in the canine species, being very sporadic in cats. The ingestion occurs, in our region, on the same frequency throughout the year. 2. In dogs, in the case of fishhooks, the sex, age, weight, size or breed of the animal does not influence the frequency of the cases. 3. The symptomatology associated with hook ingestion is subtle. The pet owners witness the ingestion, and the confirmation of the diagnosis is made in all cases by plain radiography. The time elapsed from ingestion to removal of the hooks does not influence either the success of the removal or the evolution of the patient. Complications related to the ingestion of fishhooks are rare and there have been no deaths attributed to this type of foreign body. 4. Endoscopy is an effective and safe technique for the removal of oesophageal and gastric fishhooks, and it should be the technique of choice. If the fishhook has passed into the intestine, active surveillance is a very adequate option. Surgical removal should only be performed to animals with signs of intestine perforation. 5. The use of algorithms of action made it possible to reduce the number of surgical interventions for the removal of hooks.