Diagnosis, treatment and outcome of metallic foreign body ingestion in two new world camelids

A 14-year-old alpaca and a 3-year-old llama presented independently with vague symptoms of abdominal discomfort. Bloodwork was unremarkable in the alpaca, but showed signs of sepsis in the llama, and abdominal ultrasonography was normal in both animals. Abdominal radiography revealed a metallic gastrointestinal foreign body in both cases. Ventral midline laparotomy was performed, and the foreign bodies were retrieved from the C3 compartment in the alpaca and from the proximal duodenum in the llama. Both camelids received broad-spectrum antimicrobial drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and supportive care. The alpaca and llama were discharged from the hospital 16 and 8 days after surgery, respectively. The alpaca was euthansed due to recumbency of unknown aetiology 2 months later, while the llama was doing well 4 months after discharge. This report shows the usefulness of abdominal radiographs in camelids presenting with unspecific clinical signs and demonstrates that hardware disease should be considered as a differential diagnosis.