A puppy who swallowed a razor blade is lucky to be alive thanks to a Teesside veterinary practice.
Tod, a young Biewer Terrier with a tendency to chew anything he can get hold of, was quick to pounce on the metal blade when it fell to the floor before his owner could stop him.
Tod was rushed to Grange Vets in Norton, Stockton-on-Tees, where X-rays revealed the sharp blade in the 15-week-old pup’s abdomen.
Clinical director Kim Taylor-Morton said surgery was the safest option amid concerns that the foreign object which had snapped in two could cause serious internal injuries.
Read more: Boy finds Walkers crisp which could be worth £100,000 - and nearly ate it!
She put Tod on supportive fluids and he was anaesthetised fully for the delicate operation during which Kim surgically removed the broken bits of blade from his abdomen through a small incision.
Kim, who was supported by veterinary nurse Nichola Bateman, said: “The blade had moved out of his stomach and into his intestine which made it risky. We needed to operate to remove it before it did any damage.
“We were really worried.
“It could have lacerated any part of his gut. Once it starts working its way through that narrow pipework, it is very risky.
“We were very lucky because he had obviously chewed everything he could, and bits of the razor blade had become embedded in a piece of wood he had previously swallowed which helped with the transit through.”
Read more: Appeal to parents as children throw food, abuse staff and threaten to smash premises
Owner Glenn Wilks said Tod had bounced back from the operation and made a strong recovery.
“With them teething, Tod and his brother Toby are very prone to chewing everything. Grange Vets advised us to get toys, but they prefer to chew things they aren’t supposed to! We have to watch them like a hawk.
“Tod is fond of eating sticks and the bits of blade were stuck around a bit of wood. They operated on him and removed it. He is up and running around and all back to normal. Grange Vets were absolutely brilliant. They saved his life. I couldn’t have asked for better care.”
For more quality journalism, subscribe to The Northern Echo for £1.50 a week here.
Kim, who has been a vet for 20 years, has been at the small animal practice in Norton for five years where she is part of a team of five highly-skilled vets, two of whom each have three decades of experience.
She said: “This is not the first patient I’ve had that has swallowed a razor blade. It is so hard for owners with these pups which are into everything. If anything like this happens my advice is to always phone your vet even if you think that you are over-worrying. Let us decide for you.
“I know there’s almost a feeling of guilt about contacting the vets because there are practices around that are short staffed. At Grange Vets we are fully staffed. You are not a burden. We always have emergency appointments available in the day.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel