Holly leaf ingestion causing pharyngeal obstruction in lambs

WE would like to report the case of a three-week-old texel ewe lamb that presented to us showing respiratory distress, blood-tinged hypersalivation, oral pain and dysphagia. Palpation of the laryngeal region induced pain and exacerbated the respiratory distress. Visualisation of the pharyngeal region was not possible in the fully conscious animal and therefore heavy sedation was induced. A laryngoscope was used to see the pharynx which revealed a holly leaf lodged in front of the larynx, which was quite easily removed with artery forceps (Fig 1). A long acting antibiotic injection (Betamox LA; Norbrook) was administered to prevent secondary infection of the relatively superficial traumatic lesions caused by the barbs on the leaf, and an anti-inflammatory administered to reduce pain and swelling. The lamb made a rapid and uneventful recovery. This practice has seen several cases of holly leaf pharyngeal obstructions over the last decade, presented by...
Source: Veterinary Record - Category: Veterinary Research Tags: Letters and Notices Source Type: research