Associations of abdominal discomfort and length of clinical signs with surgical procedure in 181 cases of canine small intestinal foreign body obstruction.

Abdominal discomfort was not associated with surgical complexity; however, the duration of clinical signs was associated with surgical complexity, with longer duration being associated with entry into the GIT and R&A. Despite statistical significance, the maximum difference of 2 days between surgical groups is unlikely to be clinically relevant.