An x-ray of the one-year-old Mastiff-type seemed to show an extra rib, but PDSA vets were shocked to discover Chico had actually managed to wolf down a six-inch rib bone whole.
Chico’s owner, Craig Anderson, said he had bought the rib bone as a treat for his beloved pet. He said: “I thought if I supervised him it would be fine but he literally swallowed it in one mouthful. I knew he wouldn’t be able to digest it properly so I took him straight to PDSA.”
Susie Hermit, Senior Vet at our Glasgow Shamrock Street Pet Hospital, said:
“Chico didn’t seem to be in any pain but we knew we had to carry out emergency surgery to remove it because it could have caused a life-threatening tear to his stomach or intestines.”
Thankfully Chico has gone on to make a full recovery, although bones are now firmly off the menu.
PDSA in action
Pet health and wellbeing is the reason we do what we do
Each of our 48 Pet Hospitals see many traumatic cases each week. Staff never know what will come in throughout the day, so need to be prepared for any type of emergency.
Immediate action and expertise are vital in an emergency and can literally mean the difference between life and death. Some of the worst emergency cases can be caused by road traffic accidents. When a pet has been involved in a traumatic incident, they will often be suffering from shock. Patients in shock need fluids straight into the vein to support their dangerously low blood pressure. An injured pet struggling to breathe may need oxygen therapy and immediate pain relief. Our vets need to stabilise critical patients before they begin to diagnose and treat their injuries.
The teams use many different pieces of equipment to treat emergency patients, including an emergency crash kit, which holds a box of essential life-saving drugs and other equipment that is used to stimulate the heart and breathing.
With immediate treatment for our expert vet teams, pets have the best chance of surviving in emergency cases.
We couldn’t do this life-saving work without the support and generosity of pet lovers like you.
Greyhound Cookie was nearly hiss-tory after being bitten on the face by an adder while on her daily walk.
Owner Lynn Pallatina said: “I didn’t know what had happened to Cookie at first. She was sniffing around and then jumped back suddenly. I saw the end of a snake but I didn’t think she’d actually been bitten – but then she just lay down on the ground, opening and closing her mouth and within three minutes her face had started to swell badly so I knew something was wrong.”
Kay Brough, Head Nurse at Wolverhampton PDSA where Cookie was first admitted, said: “Without treatment it’s quite possible she would have died, as adder venom is poisonous and can cause organ failure. Thankfully, we were able to get hold of the anti-venom to treat her.”
Cookie was transferred to Quinton PDSA Pet Hospital for overnight observation and has since been allowed home.
Clive, the curious cat amazed his owners by opening the oven door to indulge in a fishy feast. But as well as eating their salmon dinner, Clive put his life in danger by also scoffing the onions and garlic it was cooked with.
Clive’s owner, Imogen Craven-Mallett, immediately rang her local PDSA Pet Hospital. She said: “I couldn’t believe it when I found him eating the salmon because I know garlic and onions are poisonous to cats.”
Clive was kept in overnight for close monitoring and given treatment to help reduce absorption of the potentially deadly toxins.
PDSA vet, Emily Ronald, said: “Clive is a real character and incredibly lucky. The garlic and onion could have been fatal but, thanks to his owner’s quick reactions and our treatment, he’s recovered and all his tests came back clear.”
Imogen added: “If it wasn’t for PDSA, I don’t think Clive would be here now.”
Vets, volunteers and supporters … together we make a life-saving team