Young Bulldog Sam Darcy will miss a period of football after experiencing spontaneous breathing difficulties in recent days.
Darcy did not play at either level over the weekend after being removed from the club's VFL side for its Round 7 clash with GWS.
The Bulldogs have since revealed Darcy recorded shortness of breath in the past week and underwent scans which revealed a small hole in the teenager's lung.
The diagnosis is expected to keep Darcy on the sidelines for the coming weeks as the club allows the ailment to heal.
"Sam reported the insidious onset of some shortness of breath," Bell said.
"Scans confirmed that he is suffering from a small hole in the lung that has leaked some air into the space between the lung and the chest wall. This has happened spontaneously and is non-traumatic which is uncommon.
"We have consulted with specialists, who expect this to heal and improve with conservative management and time.
"We will monitor Sam over the coming weeks and declare him available once he is back to full health."
Darcy played in the opening two rounds of the 2023 season before being omitted to the VFL, bringing his career games tally to six after a four-game stint at the back-end of his debut campaign.
The Bulldogs have confirmed fellow tall forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is a test for this weekend's clash with Carlton after suffering an adductor injury against GWS on Saturday, while midfielder Adam Treloar will miss 2-3 weeks due to a hamstring injury.
Defender Tim O'Brien joins Ugle-Hagan as a test for Round 9 as he looks to return from quad tightness.
The Dogs and Blues will clash at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.
