A 10-month-old German Shepherd, who swallowed a four inches wooden kebab skewer, went on living for eight weeks with the stick inside her. It was was finally detected after an ultrasound was performed. Bear, the German shepherd, was brought to a vet by her owner Richard Davidsonwhere an ultrasound revealed a skewer inside her body. Thankfully, it did not hurt her vital organs and was surgically removed.
Talking to Mirror, vet Riccardo Minelli of Abington Park Veterinary Surgery in Northampton said her leg was “massively swollen” when Bear came in and was shocked to see anything “as big as a kebab stick” after the ultrasound scan.
He explained the image showed that the stick was close to large abdominal vessels and femoral artery requiring surgery but due to risk of hemorrhage, it had to be removed non-invasively. It is still unknown how the sick got in as there was no wound or entry point.
The owner suspects that Bearswallowed the stick while eating a kebab during their barbeque session in the back garden. He said “dogs are so crafty” and quick when it comes to food and since they have a dog who eats anything, they try to be as careful as possible. However, in this case, they “didn’t even see her take it and don’t know if she sneaked it off someone’s plate.” After months when Bear started limping and wasn’t able to walk on her back leg, they took her to vets.
The foreign object was highlighted in the X-ray and it was successfully removed after the surgery.
Richard told Mirror he didn’t expect a kebab stick to be behind the limp as the dog was eating fine with no “other signs of anything wrong.” The stick missed the vital organs, passing through the intestine without causing serious damage. He shared they are more careful now and have installed doggie guards at the kitchen door to prevent the incident from happening again.
Vet Riccardo reveals they come across multiple cases of swallowed kebab sticks that get stuck in the mouth or oesophagus or the stomach. In this case, thankfully, it passed through the intestine which was “unusual.”
He warned owners to be more vigilant towards their dogs while enjoying a barbeque and rush to a vet right away if their pet swallows a stick.
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