Case Study: Ultrasound - A blackthorn foreign body in the paw
Ellie, a 5 year old female Boxer, had suddenly pulled up lame on her right forelimb while out on a walk 3 months previously. A small amount of swelling was noticed over the back of the paw, but there were no obvious wounds. The lameness resolved over the following week, but the swelling persisted. Ellie’s primary veterinary surgeon suspected a foreign body and surgically explored the area, but nothing was found. A few weeks later a second exploratory surgery was performed, but again no cause for the swelling was found. Since that second operation, the surgical site had continued to weep, although Ellie was no longer lame.
Ellie was referred by her normal veterinary surgeon to a member of Willows' Orthopaedic team who recommended further imaging. An ultrasound scan over the swollen area identified a sharp-ended thorn within the tissue below the pad. Using the information from the scan, it was then possible then to guide our Soft Tissue surgical Specialist regarding exactly where to explore during subsequent surgery, and a blackthorn was successfully removed.
This ultrasound scan shows a sharp-pointed blackthorn within the deeper tissue of the foot pad of the right forelimb.
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