Vets reveal their 10 strangest cases from the past 12 months
A WIDNES veterinary practice has revealed 10 of the strangest cases the firm dealt with across its UK branches during 2017.
White Cross Vets said the ‘extraordinary’ incidents show that animal owners should always be ready for the unexpected.
The top 10 strange cases were: ● A young puppy swallowed a large rubber ball whole and needed emergency laparotomy surgery. ● A bat broke its wing after it flew into a building. ● An elderly cat’s blood stopped clotting during a routine dental operation and needed a transfusion so the vet used his own cat as the donor. ● A dog enjoying a coastal walk swallowed a three-foot-long piece of seaweed without chewing, resulting in feelings of sickness for a few days. ● Old dog Madison was stung after licking a jellyfish at the beach and would have died had her owner not rushed her to the vets. ● A vet on the way to work spotted a deer that had been hit by a car, so she lifted him into the boot, drove him to her practice and saved his life before releasing him back into the wild. ● Zeus the Dogue De Bordeaux puppy was found after going missing for 15 days during a walk in the Lake District and ending up tangled in bushes, and, although hungry and dehydrated, he was nursed back to full fitness. ● Siberian husky Hugo stole a chicken kebab from a barbecue and, after devouring the raw meat, he swallowed the wooden skewer puncturing his stomach and abdomen but made a full recovery. ● Guinea pigs called Mick Hucknall, Ed Sheeran, and Chris Evans were all castrated during the same week as well as being named after celebrities with red hair. ● Boxer dog Joe had emergency surgery to open his stomach after he ate an entire ball of wool, with the vet who performed the operation ● describing the smell as being like a ‘woolly jumper marinated in cheese’.
Archie Cummings, of White Cross Widnes, said: “No two days are ever the same in a veterinary practice and this year we’ve seen more unusual cases than ever before coming through our doors.
“These range from miracle stories through to the downright bizarre, but crucially they all have a happy ending, with all the pets in our top 10 ultimately making a full recovery thanks to our skilled team.”