Warning after dog’s horror stick injury

A DOG owner has told how her pet was left “dying in her arms” after suffering a “sword-swallower” injury while chasing a stick.

Spaniel Ebi was enjoying a walk with owner Nicola Elliott when the devastating injury occurred. The stick went into Ebi’s mouth, ripping a hole in her oesophagus and narrowly missing two vital arteries.

The two-year-old sprocker underwent surgery, blood transfusions and treatment for sepsis, with the final bill expected to be around £10,000.

Despite fears that she would not survive the incident, Ebi was finally allowed home.

Now Nicola is warning others of the danger of throwing sticks for dogs.

She said: “Ebi had been zooming about off the lead like a typical spaniel when she ran up to me with a stick. I didn’t think anything of it and threw it.

“She chased after it and the next thing I heard a yelp and she collapsed instantly.”

Nicola rushed Ebi to Tay Valley Vets in Perth.

She said: “I didn’t know it at the time but she was literally dying in my arms.”

Vet Rebecca Manson quickly established that the stick had gone down Ebi’s throat and after initially being treated in Perth, the dog was rushed to the Royal Dick veterinary school in Edinburgh. A CT scan revealed that the stick had gone through Ebi’s flesh until it reached her armpit, with a rib deflecting it away from her heart and lungs.

Ebi underwent surgery and spent a week in intensive care.

Nicola has now set up a Facebook page to raise awareness of the dangers of sticks and prevent other owners enduring the same ordeal.

Vet Rebecca said they see an average of two to three stick injury cases of varying severity a month.

She also stressed the importance of having appropriate pet insurance.