06/24/2026
Foreign bodies are a common reason dogs present to the emergency hospital and radiographs are a common diagnostic tool we use to screen for foreign bodies. Depending on what object the animal ingested, a lot of foreign bodies (fabric, organic matter, etc.) do not show up readily on radiographs and we may have to apply other diagnostics to confirm/rule out the foreign body (i.e. ultrasound).
Sometimes you get a foreign body so obvious it can be diagnosed by a preschooler. Fortunately for this very hungry dog he got immediate surgery to remove the foreign body (can you guess what it was) and is doing great.