A Lochaber family has vowed to never throw a stick again after a game of fetch with their beloved dog left it impaled down his throat.
Five-year-old cocker spaniel Brodie was out for a walk with owner Allan MacDonald near their family home in Mallaig when a stick thrown during a game got lodged dangerously between his throat and his stomach.
Shocked and scared, the family rushed him to their local vets in Fort William as Brodie lay “paralysed” in their arms with the stick wedged in his oesophagus.
However, the MacDonald’s quickly realised his best chance of survival was to embark on a four hour, 110 mile drive to the Vets Now pet emergency hospital in Glasgow.
Allan’s wife, Jennifer said: “We thought we’d lost him.
“Allan was working from home and took Brodie out by the lochside during his lunch break,” she said.
“He threw a stick and it stuck into the ground, pointing upwards. Brodie jumped straight onto it and it lodged in his throat.
“Allan was quite a way from his car, so he phoned me, and I drove straight there. Brodie was lying on his side like he was paralysed, with this stick poking out of his mouth. We were both in shock and so scared. We thought we’d lost him.”
She added: “I was trying to stay calm, but it was a horrendous journey.”
WARNING – GRAPHIC CONTENT
Use the slider below to see an image of the stick in Brodie’s throat.
Road to recovery
Upon arrival in Glasgow, the “paralysed” pup was rushed in for treatment leaving the couple fearing the worst.
Staff from the vets intensive care team monitored his condition overnight in preparation for surgery to remove the stick the following morning.
Surgical specialist Ana Marques explains how the stick had caused significant damage to his oesophagus, leaving Brodie unable to eat and drink normally.
She said: “When Brodie arrived, he was met by our emergency and critical care team who described him as alert but unable to stand.
Our intensive care team kept him in overnight, ensured he was kept stable and pain-free in preparation for the CT scan and surgery the next morning.
“Brodie underwent major surgery to remove the stick, which had also damaged his oesophagus. This meant that Brodie wasn’t allowed to eat or drink normally, he had to be fed using a tube to allow the oesophagus the best chance of healing properly.
“Brodie was a model patient, a lovely boy and the whole team enjoyed taking care of him.”
After a worrying night in the city, the family received good news.
Brodie spent a week in the vet’s intensive care before returning home to the north.
‘We’ll never throw a stick again’
As Brodie continues to recover at home, his owners have now pledged their support for Vets Now’s Ditch the Stick campaign, to help make sure no family endures the same heartbreak as them.
The campaign has been launched in response to the worrying number of dogs needing emergency treatment relating to stick incidents.
A report from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2018 found that dogs suffer as many injuries playing fetch as they do on Britain’s roads.
Mrs MacDonald has pledged to never play fetch with a stick again, as she thanks the veterinary staff for helping to bring their boy home.
She said: “We’ll never throw a stick again.
“We usually take a ball to throw anyway and that’s so much safer.
“After all we’ve been through, my advice to anyone thinking of playing with a stick with their dog is: just don’t.
“They can be so dangerous, and you never know what might happen.
“I’m just so grateful to Vets Now. We know Brodie wouldn’t be with us now without everything they did.”
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