Staffie survives after foot-long stick removed

The veterinary team at a Leeds practice says the dramatic case of Staffordshire bull terrier Jess again highlights the dangers of throwing sticks for dogs.

The family pet needed life-saving surgery after a foot-long stick lodged down her throat, reportedly narrowly missing her heart and major arteries.

Jess’ owner had thrown a stick on a walk in the fields, but the Staffie landed on it when it became stuck on the ground, lodging in her oesophagus.

Yelp

The stick was nowhere to be seen, and Jess’ owner, although she heard her yelp in pain, thought the dog had a leg injury as she was limping. She carried her home and took her to Beechwood Veterinary Group in Leeds, where the stick was discovered on clinical inspection.

Beechwood’s James Tate operated on Jess, but had warned the owner to expect the worst as the team did not know the extent of the damage caused by the stick.

Bulge

Dr Tate said: “I had to give the owner a guarded prognosis as we didn’t know how much internal damage there was and unfortunately there was a reasonable chance of her dying on the operating table.

“Fortunately, the stick had not ruptured her oesophagus or penetrated through any soft tissue. It wasn’t until we opened up her neck that we saw just how long the stick was. We made an incision in the oesophagus and, with gentle manipulation, managed to get it out.”

‘Incredible’

A dog had died in a similar case at Beechwood six months earlier and many UK practices will have seen similar cases.

Dr Tate added: “It is incredible how the stick had not caused more damage to Jess because it had gone straight down her throat. We’re glad this case had a happy ending because we’ve seen dogs where there has not been a happy outcome.”