Radiographic Characteristics of Jujube Pit Foreign Bodies in a Dog

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) is a widely consumed fruit in East Asia, yet its sharp-ended pits pose a high risk of gastrointestinal perforation in humans. While well-documented in human medicine, jujube pit ingestion in dogs has not previously been reported in the veterinary literature. This report describes a 15-year-old neutered male Maltese dog that presented with anorexia and lethargy five days after accidentally ingesting whole jujubes. Abdominal radiographs identified multiple intraluminal gastric foreign bodies demonstrating a distinctive, orientation-dependent sign: circular (transverse) or spindle-shaped (sagittal) opacities featuring a characteristic central longitudinal stripe. Although abdominal ultrasonography was limited in this specific case due to severe acoustic shadowing from localized gastric gas, the unique radiographic marker provided a reliable diagnostic clue before surgical confirmation. A gastrotomy was performed to successfully retrieve six intact, sharp-pointed pits, and the dog recovered uneventfully. To the authors’ knowledge, as the first report to describe the clinical progression and specific radiographic characteristics of jujube pits in a dog, this case highlights the central longitudinal stripe as a diagnostic clue. This marker facilitates the differentiation of jujube pits from other foreign bodies on plain radiographs, allowing for timely surgical intervention to prevent catastrophic complications.