A FAMILY pet needed surgery after swallowing a wooden kebab skewer.
Three-year-old Spaniel Lily was rushed to St Peter’s Vets in Hampshire after her shocked owner saw the pointy end of the stick protruding from her pet’s side.
Vet and clinical director Ruth Brownlee (pictured above with Lily) performed the surgery and said that as well as puncturing the pet’s side, the 15cm stick had perforated her stomach and grazed her liver.
Ruth said: “The stomach wall is quite tough and it takes a lot to perforate it and, while we have seen pets before that have eaten kebab skewers, this is the first time we’ve had a case where the stick started coming through the dog’s side.
“Luckily, Lily got off quite lightly as her injuries could have been much worse and the stomach damage could have resulted in life-threatening peritonitis.
“These sticks attract dogs because they smell like meat or may have a small amount of meat remaining on them and they can cause nasty injuries if swallowed. I would encourage owners to do their best to keep their dogs away from discarded food items and to be extra vigilant near bins or in areas where people might eat packed lunches or picnics.”
Lily’s owner Laura Vaughan praised the veterinary team for the care they gave to her pet, and said she has no idea when or where her dog found and ate the stick.
Laura said: “It was a complete shock when I saw the end of the kebab stick poking out because I hadn’t seen Lily picking up anything when we were out walking. On the day it emerged, I noticed her licking her side in the morning and by lunchtime there was the tip of the stick poking out. She hadn’t even been showing signs of being unwell and was eating and drinking as normal and still playing and enjoying going for walks.
“The team at St Peter’s were amazing and I can’t thank them enough. They looked after Lily so well and they were also really caring to me, because it was an unexpected and traumatic experience.
“It’s really worrying that people don’t dispose of items like these appropriately and I’d urge anyone eating food outside to put their rubbish in a bin or take it home with them. Dogs can become seriously ill or even die if they eat harmful items like these sticks and I wouldn’t want another pet or owner to go through what Lily and I did.”
Article by Jo Browne, PR manager (South), email: jo.browne@vetpartners.co.uk