Symptoms If your pet exhibits symptoms, such as vomiting with or without blood and/or blood in the stool or if there is a foreign body in the esophagus, than an endoscopic exam can help diagnose the problem and in some cases resolve it.

Veterinary Endoscopy

Veterinary Endoscopy is a gentle non invasive procedure for the diagnosis and treatment of Upper and Lower Gastrointestinal (GI) tract problems. With an endoscope, we can perform a more complete, nonsurgical examination of the GI Tract, including the esophagus, stomach, and some areas of the intestines. We are also able to perform a colo- noscopy, as indicated.

The endoscope allows us to visualize areas that are nor- mally not accessible without invasive surgery. The scope is equipped with a lighted camera and pictures are transferred to a monitor to be evaluated. Using the scope, we can diag- nose gastrointestinal disorders, cancerous growths, polyps and more. Scope pictures can also be sent to specialists for a histopathology and further evaluation.

The endoscope can also be used to obtain a biopsy of potentially infected or cancerous material. The endoscope serves as the "eye", allowing us to obtain the best possible sample or biopsy for evaluation. This procedure is helpful in diagnosing malignancies in the GI Tract as well as GI disorders, such as inflammatory Bowel Disease.

We can also use the endoscope to aid in the removal of foreign bodies. A foreign body is anything that "does not belong" in the animal's GI Tract. Often, animals swallow things that they should not, including, toys buttons, sewing needles, string, even pantyhose. Using the endoscope as a guide, we may be able to remove such objects rather than resorting to major surgery.

Look Within

Endoscopy comes from the Greek word "scopy" meaning "look" and "endo" meaning "within". The endoscope uses fiberoptic "light fiber bundle" technology to view within your pet. There are two kinds of endoscopes: rigid and flexible. Rigid scopes can look inside the abdomen, joints, and chest with only one or two small incisions approximately one-half-inch long. These incisions are usually closed with only one suture. Flexible scopes are used to view the urinary, bladder, stomach, colon, intestine or nose. No incisions are necessary in these cases.

Revolutionary

This equipment has revolutionized human medicine and surgery. It is likely to do the same for veterinary medicine. We are now able to do exploratory surgery and take biop- sies in the abdomen, chest, and joints without the necessity of invasive large incision surgery. With the flexible scope we are able to view, biopsy and remove foreign bodies from the air passageways, lungs, stomach and small intestine. This significantly reduces the risk of IQng anesthetic periods and the pain and discomfort of a large incision for your pet.