Dog cheats death after animal hospital removes one-foot-long stick from lung
A much-loved family dog has been saved from near-death after a foot-long stick was removed from his lung by a leading animal hospital in Norfolk.
Billy the spaniel had been playing in a large puddle of water whilst out on a walk with owner Mr. Jones, when he started to cough and drool, occasionally bringing up blood.
Concerned for his wellbeing, Mr. Jones quickly took him to The Grove Veterinary Group’s Dereham practice to seek advice. Here, the vet who examined Billy recommended he needed advanced imaging, so he was transferred to the group’s animal hospital in Fakenham.
Later that morning, a CT scan revealed a foreign body in one of Billy’s lungs. Closer examination identified a long and thin object, lodged within Billy’s left lower lung lobe. Grove’s team of four vet surgeons and nurses looking after Billy knew this foreign object needed to be removed quickly and carefully, otherwise it could lead to permanent lung damage and severe injury.
To treat Billy, an endoscopy was performed. Here, a long, thin tube with a tiny camera was put into Billy’s mouth and gently pushed down his throat. Once in place, it became very clear very quickly what was causing the issue; a large stick! So, using a combination of grasping forceps and careful co-ordination between the team, the stick was slowly pulled out. When removed, they were astonished to see it was over 32 centimetres long!
Luckily, a repeat bronchoscopy and CT evaluation of the lungs did not detect any major damage to the lung lobes. So, after spending a night under strict observation in the hospital, Billy was able to go home and finish his recovery. In just two weeks, with symptomatic care, he was back on his feet and enjoying long walks again!
Veterinary surgeon in charge of the procedure, Andy Banerjee, at The Grove Veterinary Hospital, said:
“The initial assessment of Billy’s CT images was very alarming. A highly co-ordinated effort between four veterinary colleagues was required to safely remove the stick without causing Billy any further injuries. Thankfully, our repeat assessment showed no other injuries to his lung tissue or airways. It was remarkable to see so little damage by such a large object! We are all so pleased to see the Billy has made such a swift and full recovery.”
Owner Mr. Jones said:
"I was initially very concerned about Billy falling victim to secondary drowning. So, I was almost relieved to hear the first vet who examined him say “it’s probably a blade of grass”. On hearing it was in fact, a stick I had lots of "what if..?” thoughts - having lifted his back end and slapped his back and side in an attempt to eject what I thought at the time, was water! I am extremely grateful to Andy and the team at the Grove for their fantastic work and after care.”
Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, The Grove Veterinary Hospital is a leading UK animal hospital. With state-of-the-art facilities, The Grove Veterinary Hospital offers a wide range of veterinary services including emergency services (through the MiNightVet out of hours service), first opinion consultations and advanced soft tissue surgery and diagnostic imaging services, with a specialist-lead in-house orthopaedic referral service covering Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Lincolnshire.