St Helens vet saves dog after removing sharp skewer from stomach

Dachshund Stanley swallowed the two-inch wooden stick whole after his owner Helen Stout accidently dropped the snack on the floor.

Helen rushed the greedy two-year-old to Windsor Veterinary Surgery in Gateacre near her home where a vet referred him to Rutland House Veterinary Hospital in St Helens which provides 24-hour emergency care.

Rutland House Vets’ veterinary team tried to remove the skewer by gastroscopy, where a tiny camera on a slim, flexible tool is inserted through the mouth and into the stomach to locate foreign objects so they can be removed without the need for surgery.

Vet Stephanie Walsh at Rutland House Vets with Stanley who had to have a chicken skewer surgically removed from his stomach (Image: Rutland House)

However, other contents in Stanley’s stomach made it too difficult to safely retrieve the offending object, so vet surgeon Stephanie Walsh surgically removed it – along with an intact cherry tomato, pieces of plastic from a toy, and remains of a chew he had not digested properly.

Rutland House Vets is now urging other people who think their pet has swallowed something suspect to seek advice from their vet promptly.

Stephanie said: “We were surprised by how much we found in Stanley’s stomach. If we hadn’t removed the skewer, it could have perforated his intestines or pushed its way out of the stomach which would cause a risk of very serious infection or internal damage.

“The pieces of plastic were a reasonable size and could have caused constant irritation in the stomach and stopped things from passing through normally, or they could have moved into the intestine and caused a blockage. He’s had a lucky escape.

“If anyone is concerned or suspects that their pet has swallowed something they shouldn’t, I would recommend that they get advice straight away.”

Stanley stayed at the hospital in Abbotsfield Road for two nights to be monitored while he recovered for surgery, and was back to his mischievous self within a week.

Helen said: “I dropped the packet of chicken skewers packet on the floor and he just dived onto it before I could get it, and had swallowed a kebab whole.

“He eats pretty much any food and is such a greedy boy he just swallows things quickly without chewing them. As soon as he hears the fridge open or you start chopping carrots, he is there.

“I realised it had gone all the way down, so I rang the vet straight away. I didn’t want to leave it to pass through his intestines with the risks involved. It was very worrying, but they did the surgery that evening, and the vet rang at about 10pm to say he was all alright.

“He had two nights at the vets because, despite being the greediest dog in the world, he didn’t want to eat anything after surgery!

“He had chicken and rice for about a week and gradually went back to his usual food. He has healed really well. We were really impressed with Rutland House - we got lots of phone calls from the nurses and the vet, and they took really good care of him.”