Radiographic, endoscopic, and computed tomography findings in a cat with complete esophageal obstruction caused by doxycycline-induced esophagitis
Abstract
This case presents a 2-year-old spayed female cat that developed a complete esophageal stricture following 14 days of oral dry doxycycline therapy. Following treatment, the patient developed symptoms of regurgitation, loss of appetite, and vomiting. Direct radiography revealed marked aerophagia in the esophagus, while contrast radiography showed esophageal dilatation at the level of the first thoracic vertebra (T1) and complete stricture preventing the contrast medium from passing into the stomach. Endoscopic examination verified a complete stricture in the middle esophagus, and computed tomography (CT) revealed that the stricture was localized at T1; no extraluminal mass or vascular ring anomaly was identified. The absence of a history of anesthesia, foreign body ingestion, or trauma in the medical history confirms that the stricture developed due to chemical damage to the esophageal mucosa caused by doxycycline in capsule form. Reports in the literature indicate that administering doxycycline capsules to cats without adequate fluids increases the risk of esophageal ulceration and scarring. Unfortunately, because of the poor prognosis of the complete stricture in the patient, the patient's poor general condition, and the owner's reluctance to pursue treatment, the decision was made to euthanize the patient. In conclusion, the presented case highlights the diagnostic value of combined radiography, contrast esophagography, endoscopy, and computed tomography for diagnosing esophageal strictures that develop after oral administration of doxycycline. Furthermore, it is essential to consider the pharmaceutical formulation and administration technique for oral drug delivery to cats to prevent potential complications.
References
- Abd Elkader NA, Emam IA, Farghali HA, et al (2020): Oesophageal foreign bodies in cats: Clinical and anatomic findings. PLoS One, 15, e0233983.
- Bascunan A, Regier PJ, Case JB, et al (2020): Vascular ring anomalies in cats: 20 cases (2000-2018). Vet Surg, 49, 265-273.
- Beatty JA, Swift N, Foster DJ, et al (2006): Suspected clindamycin-associated oesophageal injury in cats: five cases. J Feline Med Surg, 8, 412-419.
- Bissett SA, Davis J, Subler K, et al (2009): Risk factors and outcome of bougienage for treatment of benign esophageal strictures in dogs and cats: 28 cases (1995-2004). J Am Vet Med Assoc, 235, 844-850.
- Carlborg B, Densert O (1980): Esophageal lesions caused by orally administered drugs. An experimental study in the cat. Eur Surg Res, 12, 270-282.
- Da Riz F, Beguin J, Manassero M, et al (2021): Outcome of dogs and cats with benign oesophageal strictures after balloon dilatation or stenting: 27 cases (2002-2019). J Small Anim Pract, 62, 886-894.
- Fauquet C, Meynaud P, Didier C, et al (2025): Suspected congenital oesophageal stenosis in a cat. Vet Rec Case Rep, e70093.
- Gallo SH, McClave SA, Makk LJ, et al (1996): Standardization of clinical criteria required for use of the 12.5 millimeter barium tablet in evaluating esophageal lumenal patency. Gastrointest Endosc, 44, 181-184.
- German AJ, Cannon MJ, Dye C, et al (2005): Oesophageal strictures in cats associated with doxycycline therapy. J Feline Med Surg, 7, 33-41.
- Glazer A, Walters P (2008): Esophagitis and esophageal strictures. Compend Contin Educ Vet, 30, 281-292.
- Goyal RK (2005): Diseases of the esophagus. 1739. In: DL Casper (Ed), Harrisons Principles Of Internal Medicine. McGraw-Hill Education, Ohio.
- Jaspersen D (2000): Drug-induced oesophageal disorders: pathogenesis, incidence, prevention and management. Drug Saf, 22, 237-249.
- Katzka DA (2021): Medication-Induced Esophageal Injury. In The Esophagus Eds: J.E. Richter, D.O. Castell, D.A. Katzka, P.O. Katz, A. Smout, S. Spechler and M.F. Vaezi. Wiley-Blackwell, UK.
- Kikendall JW (1999): Pill esophagitis. J Clin Gastroenterol, 28, 298-305.
- Kook PH (2021): Esophagitis in cats and dogs. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract, 51, 1-15.
- Nakaichi M, Iseri T, Horikirizono H, et al (2022): Intralesional steroid injection after endoluminal esophageal stricture dilatation in a cat. Open Vet, 12, 188-191.
- Sellon RK, Willard MD (2003): Esophagitis and esophageal strictures. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract, 33, 945-967.
- Sutton JS, Culp WT Scotti K, et al (2016): Perioperative morbidity and outcome of esophageal surgery in dogs and cats: 72 cases (1993–2013). JAVMA, 249, 787-793.
- Valdés A (2009): Esophageal stenosis in cats. WSAVA Congress Proceedings. https://www.vin.com/doc/?id= 4252566. (Accessed October 17, 2025).
- Weisse C, Berent AC, Todd K, et al (2012): Use of endoluminal self-expanding and balloon-expandable metallic stents for the treatment of benign and malignant esophageal diseases in dogs and cats: 36 cases (2001–2008). JAVMA, 240, 203–212.
- Westfall DS, Twedt DC, Steyn PF, et al (2001): Evaluation of esophageal transit of tablets and capsules in 30 cats. J Vet Intern Med, 15, 467-470.
- Wiles V, Hardie RJ (2004): Complications associated with percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes in dogs and cats: 97 cases (1991–2000). JAVMA, 225, 712–716.
- Zografos GN, Georgiadou D, Thomas D, et al (2009): Drug-induced esophagitis. Dis Esophagus, 22, 633-637.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Diagnosis and Diagnostics, Veterinary Sciences (Other) |
| Journal Section | Case Report |
| Authors | |
| Submission Date | August 19, 2025 |
| Acceptance Date | December 4, 2025 |
| Early Pub Date | January 21, 2026 |
| Publication Date | January 21, 2026 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2026 Issue: Advanced Online Publication |
Cite
Aim & Scope
The aim of the ‘Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi’ is to publish high quality original articles that will contribute to people working in the fields of animal health, welfare, and production at the international level.
Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi is one of the journals’ of Ankara University, which is the first well-established university in the Republic of Turkey. Research articles, short communications, case reports, and invited review articles are published, covering all aspects of animal health, welfare, and production. The journal is published on a quarterly since 1954 and indexing in Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCI-Exp) since April 2007.
Author Guidelines
Click here for a sample research article.
Click here for a sample case report and short communication
Instruction to Authors
1. The language of the journal is English.
2. Original research articles, reviews, case reports, letter to editor and short communications on all aspects of veterinary science, which had not been previously published elsewhere in whole or in part except abstract not exceeding 250 words, are published in the journal.
Review articles are only be submitted by invitation.
3. Manuscripts (including footnotes, references, figure legends, and tables) should be prepared with the following attributes: 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced typed, 3-cm ample margins, sequential line numbering, and A4 page size. Page numbers should also be written on the top-middle of each page except the first page.
4. Manuscripts including figures and tables should not be exceeding 15 pages for original research articles, 10 pages for review articles, 7 pages for case reports and short communications.
5. All manuscripts should be submitted online using the journal’s submission system. Once a manuscript has been submitted electronically via an online system, the order of authorship (including adding or removing authors) cannot be changed.
6. Original research articles and case reports must be prepared in the following order: title, author/s, address, ORCID knowledge, abstract, keywords, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion and conclusion, acknowledgement, conflict of interest and references.
7. Subdivisions of introduction, materials and methods, results, and discussion and conclusion should not be placed in short communications and case report.
8. In the acknowledgement section, if the article is produced by a doctoral or master’s thesis or support information or presented at the scientific meeting, the explanation should be made. Explanation/s regarding the study should be indicated.
Title should be short and clear and be written with small letters.
Author/s should be indicated as first and last name. Last name/s should be written with capital letters. All authors should write the ORCID.
Abstract should be written as a single paragraph not exceeding 250 words.
Keywords should be written from 3 to 5 words and should be given alphabetically
Introduction should include the literature review related to the study. The purpose/s and hypothesis of study should be indicated in the last paragraph of the introduction.
Materials and Methods should be brief, clear, and without unnecessary details. Type of research (descriptive, observation, experimental, case-control, follow-up etc.), characteristics of subjects, inclusion and exclusion criteria, sampling method if it was used in conjunction with the data collection phase, and reason for sampling method without probability, if it was used, should be indicated. Sample size and its calculation method, power value is calculated, and censored and missing numbers should be indicated. Statistical analysis and its software applications should be indicated.
Results should be explained briefly. Information stated in tables or figures should not be repeated in the text.
Subheadings should be typed with italic and second subheadings should be typed with normal fonts in both materials and methods and results sections. Subheadings in italics should be placed at the beginning of the paragraph.
Abbreviations, symbols and units: Abbreviations should be placed in parenthesis next to word/s written the first time and then they should be used as abbreviations in the text i.e. Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor (CTVT). Genus and species names in Latin should be indicated with an italic font. All measurements must be indicated according to Systeme Internationale (SI) units.
Discussion and Conclusion: should include the interpretation of present study results with other study results indicated in the reference list.
Acknowledgements: If the study is produced from a doctoral-PhD or master’s thesis or presented at scientific meetings, this should be notified in the acknowledgement section.
Financial Support: Financial support for the conduct of the research should be stated. If no funding source(s) was involved then this should be notified as “This research received no grant from any funding agency/sector.”
Ethical Statement: Studies based on animal experiments should include an approval statement of Ethical Committee in this section of the manuscript. This study was approved by the Ankara University Animal Experiments Local Ethics Committee (XXXXXXX).
Conflict of Interest: Please inform the details of all known situations with the potential bias to the work. If the authors have not any conflict of interest, it should be written as “The authors declared that there is no conflict of interest.”
Author Contributions: XX and XY conceived the idea and planned the manuscript. MN, and ZZ contributed to sample preparation. XX and YY have made significant scientific support and also contributed to the interpretation of the results. All authors provided significant contributions by giving feedback and help shape the manuscript.
Data Availability Statement: The data supporting this study's findings are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Animal Welfare: The authors confirm that they have adhered to ARRIVE Guidelines to protect animals used for scientific purposes.
References list should be numbered alphabetically. Each reference should be ordered with author’s name in black, parenthesized publication year in normal, title in italic, and short name of journal and page numbers in normal and its volume number in black font. The periodicals must be abbreviated according to "Periodical Title Abbreviations: By Abbreviation". For references with more than 3 authors, only the first 3 authors should be listed, followed by "et al." In the text, references must be cited with a number, and if the name of author was indicated, just the last name should be written before the reference number. If more than two authors were present in the reference, just last name of the first author followed by “et al” should be written in the text. In a single sentence, numbers of references should be limited to 5 ordered from small to higher number.
The following is the style used for common types of references:
[Times New Roman 12 bold] ( It should be numbered and written in alphabetical order)
1. Adams DC, Rohlf FJ, Slice DE (2004): Geometric morphometrics: ten years of progress following the revolution. Ital J Zool, 71, 5-16.
2. AOAC (2000): Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Official Methods of Analysis, 17th ed. AOAC International Maryland USA.
3. Bishop CD (1995): Antiviral activity of the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden and Betche) Cheel (tea tree) against tobacco mosaic virus. J Essential Oil Res, 7, 641- 644.
4. Hui YH (1996): Oleoresins and essential oils. 145-153. In: Hui YH (Ed.). Bailey’s industrial oil and fat products. Wiley-Interscience Publication. New York, USA.
5. Lamont LA, Bulmer BJ, Sisson DD, et al (2002): Doppler echocardiographic effects of medetomidine on dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 221, 1276-1281.
6. Sandstedt K, Ursing J, Walder M (1983): Thermotolerant Campylobacter with no or weak catalase activity isolated from dogs. Curr Microbiol, 8, 209-213.
7. Sandstedt K, Ursing J (1991): Description of the Campylobacter upsaliensis previously known as CNW group. Syst Appl Microbiol, 14, 39-45.
Please use the following data for arranging your references,
For journals:
Lamont LA, Bulmer BJ, Sisson DD, et al (2002): Doppler echocardiographic effects of medetomidine on dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 221, 1276-1281.
For proceedings:
Griban VG, Stepchenko LM, Zhorina LV (1988): The live weight gain and disease resistance of young cattle and poultry stock as influenced by physiologically active peat preparation. 45-50. In: Proceedings of 8th International Peat Congress. Leningrad, Russia.
For books:
Falconer DS (1960): Introduction to Quantitative Genetics. Oliver and Boyd Ltd, Edinburgh.
For book chapters:
Bahk J, Marth EH (1990): Listeriosis and Listeria monocytogenes. 248-256. In: DO Cliver (Ed), Foodborne Diseases. Academic Press, San Diego.
For thesis
Aladaş A (2013): Koyunlarda kırkım öncesi C vitamini ve humik asit uygulamasının kırkım stresini azaltmasındaki etkisinin incelenmesi. Yüksek Lisans Tezi. Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Afyonkarahisar.
For electronic materials:
Li G, Hart A, Gregory J (1998): Flokülasyona hız gradyanı etkisi. Available at http://www.server.com/projects/paper2.html. (Accessed May 20, 2004).
Images should be at least 1920 x 1280 dpi resolutions.
Tables and figures should be placed into separate sheets as a last part of the manuscript.
9.Manuscript with a copyright release form signed by all authors.
10.Ankara Universitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi uses a double-blind review procedure, which both the reviewer and author identities are concealed from each other throughout process. Authors approve to submit their manuscript in compliance with the double-blind review policy.
11.Authors are responsible for the article published in the journal.
12.Studies comparing products with trade name are not an interest of this journal.
13.Any materials or products used in the study should not include their trade names.
Ethical Principles and Publication Policy
ETHICAL POLICY
With the awareness of responsibility as a being the first Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Turkey, we consider the principles of transparency, confidentiality and accountability within the framework of ethical rules in the whole process of national and international dissemination of knowledge. We also aim to continuously improve all processes in an efficient and competitive structure with a quality-oriented approach.
We expect all authors/reviewers to read and understand our ethics policy before submitting/evaluating a manuscript. The chief goal of our policy is to provide advice for the ethical responsibilities to authors, editors and reviewers.
Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi follows the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, (https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/other/hi/h2020-ethics_code-of-conduct_en.pdf). (1). Refereed articles are studies require scientific methods and they provide objectivity. All components of publication process (publisher, editors, authors, reviewers and readers) should obey ethical rules for scientific production. Within this context, the policies of ‘publication ethics’ and ‘open access’ also require all components of publication process to obey the ethical principles, in direction of guides and policies of Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), as “Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors” and “COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors”.The authors are expected to fulfil the criterias proposed by McNutt et al.,(2018) (2). The editorial and publication processes of the journal are managed according to the regulations by Council of Higher Education (Turkey) (3).
General rules
- Original research articles, reviews, case reports and short communications on all aspects of veterinary science, which had not been previously published elsewhere in whole or in part except abstract not exceeding 250 words, are published in the journal.
- All manuscripts are checking by plagiarism checker (iThenticate) and allowing for peer-review under %25 score after filtering the references.
- The manuscript copyright release form is signed by all authors.
- Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi uses a double-blind review procedure, in which both the reviewer and author identities are concealed from each other throughout the process. The authors approve to submit their manuscript in compliance with the double-blind review policy.
- The authors are responsible for the article published in the journal.
- Studies comparing products with trade names are not the interest of this journal.
- Any materials or products used in the study should not include their trade names.
- Studies based on animal experiments should include an approval statement of the Ethical Committee in the materials and methods section.
Please take into consideration the recommendations for following ethical codes:
• Authorship
• Plagiarism (including self-plagiarism)
• Data fabrication / data falsification
• Duplicate submission
• Corrections and retractions
• Human and Animal Rights
• Conflicts of interest / Competing interests
• Intellectual property
The Ethical Responsibilities of the Authors
It is expected that the author (s) who submit the study to the Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi comply with the following ethical responsibilities:
- The works submitted by the author (s) are expected to be original.
- If the author (s) benefit from other studies or use other studies, they must cite completely and accurately.
- People who do not contribute to the content intellectually in the creation of the study should not be specified as an author.
- If the study sent for publication has situations and relations that may constitute a conflict of interest, it should be explained.
- The raw data regarding the articles can be requested from the author (s) within the framework of the evaluation processes, in such a case the author (s) must be ready to present the expected data and information to the editorial board and the scientific board.
- In the event that the author (s) notices a mistake or error related to the published, early-view or evaluation phase, there is an obligation to inform the editor of the journal or the publisher, to cooperate with the editor in correction or withdrawal.
- Authors cannot submit their work to the evaluation process of more than one journal at the same time.
Ethical Duties and Responsibilities of the Editors
The editor and field editors of the Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi should follow the the guidelines of "COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors" and "COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors" published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
- Making efforts to meet the information needs of readers and authors,
- Continuous development of the journal,
- Carrying out processes to improve the quality of the works published in the journal,
- Ensuring academic integrity,
- Continuing business processes without compromising intellectual property rights and ethical standards,
- Show clarity and transparency in terms of publication on issues requiring correction and explanation.
- Editors should make a positive or negative decision based on the importance of the work including the originality, validity, clarity of expression, and the goals and objectives of the journal.
- Unless there is a serious problem for the studies that are suitable for publication, they should take the preliminary evaluation stage.
- The editors should not ignore the positive reviews of the referees unless there is a serious problem with the work.
- New editors should not change the decisions made by the previous editor (s) for the work unless there is a serious problem.
- The editor must determine the referees in accordance with the subject of the study.
- It is obliged to provide the information and guides that the referees will need during the evaluation phase.
Ethical Responsibilities of Referees
The process of evaluating the Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi is carried out with the principle of double-sided blind refereeing. Reviewers cannot communicate directly with the authors, and the reviews and comments are shared through the journal management system. In this process, the review forms and the referee comments on the full texts are sent to the author (s) through the editor. In this context, the reviewers who evaluate the study for the Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi are expected to have the following ethical responsibilities:
- The referee should only accept to evaluate work related to his area of expertise.
- The referee should evaluate the assessment in neutrality and confidentiality.
- If the referee thinks he/she is facing a conflict of interest during the evaluation process, he/she should refuse to review the study and inform the journal editor.
- The referee should make the assessment objectively only in relation to the content of the study. Nationality, gender, religious beliefs, political beliefs and commercial concerns should not affect the assessment.
- The assessment should be constructive and kindly.
- The referee should perform the evaluation on time.
If you encounter an unethical situation or content in the Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi, please report it to Vfdergi@veterinary.ankara.edu.tr
References
1. ALLEA - All European Academies (2017): European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, Revised Edition. Available at
https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/other/hi/h2020-ethics_code-of-conduct_en.pdf
2. McNutt, MK, Bradford, M, Drazen, JM, et al (2018): Transparency in authors’ contributions and responsibilities to promote integrity in scientific publication. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115, 2557-2560.
3. YÖK - Yükseköğretim Kurulu (2018): Yükseköğretim Kurumları Bilimsel Araştırma ve Yayın Etiği Yönergesi. Available at https://www.yok.gov.tr/Sayfalar/Kurumsal/mevzuat/bilimsel-arastirma-ve-etik-yonetmeligi.aspx
JOURNAL POLICY
- There are no submission fees, publication fees or page charges for publication in Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi.
- The journal employs double blind reviewing. For publication of articles, two positive reports are required. It is anticipated that the publication review process of the studies submitted to Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi be completed in 6 months. However, the period during which editors or reviewers ask the author(s) to do editing and the author(s) complete the editing is not included in this time frame.
- No correction can be made in a published article.
Price Policy
There are no submission fees, publication fees or page charges for publication in ‘Ankara Univ Vet Fak Derg’.
