Critical upper gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to pine stall shaving ingestion and mechanical gastritis in a young dog

Abstract

An 8‐month‐old, male, entire Staffordshire terrier was presented for acute lethargy. The patient was severely anaemic. Diagnostic and clinical findings indicated severe upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage of unknown aetiology. Large‐volume transfusion (a total of 64.2 mL/kg of blood product) and medical management resulted in fleeting stabilisation. Serial imaging documented persistent non‐obstructive foreign material within the stomach. Due to continued gastrointestinal haemorrhage, failure to respond to medical management, and the persistent abnormal material within the stomach, surgical exploration was recommended. Exploratory laparotomy and gastrotomy resulted in the removal of a large volume of pine stall shavings. There was gross evidence of diffuse mucosal haemorrhage and mechanical gastritis. No additional blood product was required following gastrotomy. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first case report of a dog with critical bleeding necessitating large‐volume transfusion due to mechanical gastritis from ingestion of pine stall shavings, a material which is typically considered innocuous.