Todayโs path rounds are on ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ, more scientifically known as ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ก๐จ๐๐๐ณ๐จ๐๐ซ๐ฌ!
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ก๐จ๐๐๐ณ๐จ๐๐ซ๐ฌ are a specific type of gastrointestinal foreign body, caused by animals ingesting large amounts of hair. This hair clumps together in the moist environment of the gastrointestinal tract, and forms what we think of as a hairball!
๐๐ก๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
Pretty much any species can get this, but we most commonly think of it in long haired cats and calves.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
The cause of trichobezoars in long-haired cats is probably obvious: they groom themselves! While grooming they often will ingest small amounts of hair, that eventually can lead to a hairball.
Calves, however, might seem a bit unusual. Calves typically start licking their hair or their friendsโ hair when they are on a low ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ diet. Roughage is things like hay, grass, etc, basically anything with a long stem. Without these long fibers in their rumen, they start to seek out other long fibrous things to eat, and often end up eating hair. Gross.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ?
These hairballs act as a ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง ๐๐จ๐๐ฒ, which means they can actually block the normal flow of the intestinal tract. Depending on the species, this obstruction can lead to vomiting, inflammation of the stomach and intestinal tract or even ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง (sloughing of the surface mucosa).
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐๐?
If the hairball is causing an obstruction, it can often be seen on X-rays. These cases will display an ๐จ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง, where some of the intestine appears enlarged and dilated, while the rest appears small and collapsed. The dilation occurs ahead of the obstruction, because intestinal contents are unable to flow past the hairball. Ultrasound may also be used to help identify these masses.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐?
Hairballs causing obstructions have to be removed surgically, and generally have a good prognosis!
๐๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ
1-6) Various examples of trichobezoars in cats, calves, birds and baboons!
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ
Maxie, G. Jubb, Kennedy and Palmerโs Pathology of Domestic Animals, Volume 2. Sixth Edition.
Photos 1-6 ยฉ Noahโs Arkive contributor Kesdangsakonwut, Harrington, Dick, Rech, Luginbuhl licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
