Molly, a 7 year old female spayed Border collie/shepherd cross presented to Atlantic Street Pet Emergency Center for removal of a Kong toy stuck on her lower jaw. Molly was in her crate with her kong toy while her owners were out running errands.She had never had a problem with her kong toy in the past.Molly’s owners came home that day to find that the kong toy had become wedged very tightly onto Molly’s lower jaw.It could have been wedged on her lower jaw for as long as three hours.
At home, Molly’s owners tried to manually remove the kong.They tried to pull it off after lubing the toy with mineral oil.The kong would not even budge. They also tried cutting the kong with scissors and a knife but were unable to remove it.They were worried about the dangers of trying to remove the kong with sharp objects especially with Molly moving around. At that point, they decided to take Molly to Atlantic Street Pet Emergency Center.When she presented to Atlantic Street Pet Emergency Center, Molly was quiet, alert and responsive but she was uncomfortable with having the kong toy wedged on her lower jaw. She was drooling pretty heavily because the toy was irritating her mouth as well as making it difficult for her to swallow appropriately. Other than being on the thinner side in terms of her body condition, Molly had an otherwise normal appearing physical exam.Her owners reported that she had appeared healthy at home other than arthritis. Since the lower jaw was fit so tight against the hollow portion of the kong toy, it was not able to be pulled off.Her lower canine teeth actually prevented movement of the toy.
Molly’s owner authorized placement of an intravenous catheter into her front leg in order for us to administer sedation.Sedation would be required to relax Molly so that we could cut the toy off without her moving around as well as allowing us to better examine the tissues of the jaw and teeth to make sure they had not become injured. Molly was given dexdomitor 0.125 mg iv and butorphanol 2.5mg iv which provided adequate sedation for the kong removal.Molly had no complications under the sedation.
The kong was removed by first using a #10 scalpel blade to cut a wedge into the kong.This loosened the toy so that it could be gently manipulated around her teeth and then completely removed.
We were concerned about the underlying tissue being injured from the compression and decreased circulation imposed on the tissue by the tight fit of the kong.We were also worried that there might be damage to the mandibular canine teeth. Luckily, Molly did not sustain any external tissue wounds along her lower jaw.The tissues were massaged to help regain adequate circulation. There were mild sores on the sides of her tongue from her pushing against the kong earlier.Molly’s mandibular incisor teeth and mandibular canine teeth appeared stable.Butorphanol given as part of the sedation provided pain relief for the next hour.
Molly’s owner was advised to monitor the skin around the chin for discoloration (a sign of delayed tissue injury) and recheck with her veterinarian if noted.Her owner was also advised that Molly may have some discomfort for the next several hours.Since Molly already received tramadol pain medication for her arthritis, her owner was advised that should she become painful that night, Molly could receive her tramadol per dosing for arthritis tonight. Any dog toy can pose a potential risk for your pet –some are more dangerous than others.Kong toys are made out of a very firm rubber that makes it more durable against being chewed apart –so ingestion and obstruction in the gastrointestinal tract is not as common, BUT still possible.However, the firm material can make it difficult to be cut away if wedged on the mouth parts, as in the case of Molly or difficult to remove if lodged in the airways.
Another potentially life threatening risk of any dog toy is as a choking hazard.Please make sure that the size of the toy is appropriate for your pet and if uncertain about whether a particular toy is more of a choking hazard than others, we recommend you remove that toy from your pet’s toychest and consult with your veterinarian.
Molly with her kong toy
Atlantic Street Veterinary Hospital Pet Emergency Center 1100 Atlantic Street Roseville, Ca 95678
