Our Doctors

A toupee, a piece of Mr. Potato Head, a light bulb, a diamond ring. These are just some of the items Vancouver veterinarian Eugene Gorodetsky has found in the stomachs and intestines of dogs, cats, lizards and other pets in 10 years of doing animal endoscopy.

“I’ve removed hundreds of objects,” he said in an interview Thursday. “Some of the stories I’ve heard are pretty entertaining.”

Gorodetsky spoke to The Province about his work in the growing field of animal endoscopy to draw attention to the dangers of swallowing foreign objects and his method of treatment, which he claims is safer, less invasive and cheaper than surgery.

“The knee-jerk reaction for many veterinarians is to do surgery,” he said. “Through endoscopy, I can usually retrieve about 95 per cent of [foreign] objects.”

Gorodetsky, who is one of a handful of vets who uses endoscopy, travels to clinics across B.C. to perform the procedure. He does about 10 treatments a week — a number that has steadily increased since he began doing the procedure 10 years ago — including diagnostic work.

As in human medicine, animal endoscopy involves putting a long tube with a camera at the end into an orifice. To retrieve objects, various instruments are fed through the tube — some instruments are large enough to grasp a tennis ball while others are much smaller.

The veterinarian said the most common objects he removes are small toys, rocks, coins and beer-bottle caps. He’s also removed underwear, bathing suits, pins and needles, a piggy bank and garbage bags.

Often an animal will vomit or pass a swallowed object, but when it doesn’t and the object becomes stuck in the stomach or intestine, problems can occur. Vets will usually first try to induce vomiting before considering surgery or endoscopy.

Gorodetsky advises pet owners to prevent animals from swallowing objects and to contact a vet if it happens.