Endoscopy | Vet in Swansea | Bay State Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Services

A Better Way

An endoscope is an instrument that consists of a camera and lighting system affixed to a flexible tube. Endoscopes can also be equipped with basic tools for foreign body removal and taking samples for biopsy. This often allows us to avoid more invasive surgical procedures. By visualizing the tissues, or obtaining biopsy samples for analysis, the internists are able to obtain a specific diagnosis and determine the best treatment for your pet. Procedures performed include:

Upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy (non-surgical foreign body removal and biopsies)
Colonoscopy
Bronchoscopy (trachea and bronchi)

Standards of Care

Endoscopy is usually performed only by board-certified internists in specialty veterinary hospitals such as BSVESS because of the training required for proper use and because of the expense of purchasing these instruments. Specialists in internal medicine are trained both to use endoscopes and to interpret the results so that a treatment plan can be developed for the patient. For this reason, many pets are referred to BSVESS and our sister hospital OSVS.

General anesthesia is required for all endoscopic procedures so an abdominal ultrasound or chest X-rays and blood work are often performed to ensure the patient is healthy enough for anesthesia and to ensure that endoscopy is the best diagnostic tool for the patient’s circumstance.

Standards of Care

Endoscopy is usually performed only by board-certified internists in specialty veterinary hospitals such as BSVESS because of the training required for proper use and because of the expense of purchasing these instruments. Specialists in internal medicine are trained both to use endoscopes and to interpret the results so that a treatment plan can be developed for the patient. For this reason, many pets are referred to BSVESS and our sister hospital OSVS.

General anesthesia is required for all endoscopic procedures so an abdominal ultrasound or chest X-rays and blood work are often performed to ensure the patient is healthy enough for anesthesia and to ensure that endoscopy is the best diagnostic tool for the patient’s circumstance.

Improving Patient Care

In cases of intestinal disease, where symptoms including weight loss, vomiting and diarrhea are present, and a diagnosis has not been determined after use of other diagnostic tests, endoscopy is often our tool of choice. Passing the gastrointestinal endoscope through the mouth and into the digestive tract, we are able to visualize the lining of the intestines, stomach, and esophagus.

We can also take biopsies or samples of the inner lining for microscopic evaluation. With this type of endoscopic evaluation, we can often see conditions other imaging modalities could not locate, including inflammation, tumors, and ulcers. We capture real-time images of the evaluation as we attach the scope to a television screen.

Foreign Objects

Endoscopy is also used in emergencies for the removal of foreign objects pets have ingested. Sewing needles, marrow bones, pennies, socks, fish hooks, jewelry, and even rocks have been removed from cat and dog stomachs! Endoscopic removal of foreign bodies can only be effectively performed if the object is in the pet’s stomach, which we can usually determine by taking an X-ray. Once the object moves into the pet’s intestines, surgery becomes the best option. Removing potentially dangerous foreign objects using the endoscope is a less invasive and less expensive treatment option that allows our patients to go home typically within hours of the procedure.

Foreign Objects

Endoscopy is also used in emergencies for the removal of foreign objects pets have ingested. Sewing needles, marrow bones, pennies, socks, fish hooks, jewelry, and even rocks have been removed from cat and dog stomachs! Endoscopic removal of foreign bodies can only be effectively performed if the object is in the pet’s stomach, which we can usually determine by taking an X-ray. Once the object moves into the pet’s intestines, surgery becomes the best option. Removing potentially dangerous foreign objects using the endoscope is a less invasive and less expensive treatment option that allows our patients to go home typically within hours of the procedure.