As many celebrate St. Patrick's day this weekend we're bound to see the colour green everywhere. Associated with Shamrock's and Leprechauns green has become synonymous with good luck. But is it really?
In Veterinary Medicine green is not a colour we like to see and is definitely NOT a sign of good luck. One of the first questions I ask when presented with a vomiting patient is "What colour is the vomit". Why would I ask such a question? Well, the reason is that a cat or dog who is vomiting green bile almost always has an intestinal obstruction. The obstruction can be from one of many possible causes including the ingestion of a foreign object (ex a toy, a ball, cloth, etc) or from a tumour or from an intestinal accident (ex a twisting of the bowel or intussusception which is a telescoping of the bowel). In all cases this is very bad luck as it means we're heading to surgery for an exploratory.
If you are ever to see green coloured bile being vomited by your pet please make sure you seek immediate veterinary attention for him/her.
Happy St. Patrick's day and remember - green isn't always good luck!
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