A dog owner has shared a warning after throwing a stick for her pup to fetch ended up in her pet choking and a whopping £7,000 in vet bills.
Jodie Young and son Finnley were taking their dog Merlin for a walk in the park in their hometown of Thatcham, Berkshire when she picked up a stick for her pooch to fetch.
However, playtime soon took a twist after the stick became lodged in Merlin’s mouth – resulting in their beloved dog bleeding profusely and choking before going limp.
Horrified, Jodie and partner Steve rushed Merlin to a vet in Reading, where, after a traumatic 48-hour stay, the stick was successfully removed from his windpipe with the use of forceps.
Miraculously, the pup was left relatively unharmed by the 10cm stick lodged in his throat.
Jodie Young with Merlin. She was taking him for a walk in their hometown of Thatcham, Berkshire when the accident happened
But he does still rely on a fluid drip, antibiotics and strong pain killers to aid him – all of which cost Jodie and Steve a whopping £7,000 in vet bills.
Jodie took to social media to warn other pet owners of the dangers that throwing sticks can pose for dogs.
She wrote: ‘This week, I made a mistake. I’m posting this not to be dramatic or to start discussions, but to highlight to everyone who is a dog owner how a split-second decision can result in catastrophic events.
‘On Monday afternoon, myself and Finnley were walking Merlin at the park. Whilst there I found a large stick (more of a branch really) and threw it for him.
‘As I did it, I heard all the people who say “Never throw sticks for dogs it’s dangerous” and rolled my eyes to myself, thinking that dogs have chased sticks since the dawn of time.
‘Next time I will listen. Whilst running for the stick (branch) Merlin caught it in his mouth.
‘Within seconds, he was yelping like I’ve never heard before.’
In the emotional post, she added: ‘As I ran towards him, I could see that it had jammed his mouth open and he was unable to close it.
‘Finally, he was able to close his mouth again, by which time blood was pouring out of it.
‘He started wheezing and choking, then went limp. I couldn’t get him to move. Seconds later, he was heaving and vomited blood all over the grass.
‘At some point during all this I called Steve to come and get us in the car and go to the vet – of course, being a bank holiday, I was put through to the emergency vets who said I had to go to Castle Hill in Reading.
‘By the time Steve arrived, Merlin could not and would not walk and he carried him, dripping with blood to the car. Again, this isn’t me being dramatic. This is how it happened.’
Merlin had the stick that was lodged in his windpipe successfully removed after a 48 hour trip to the vets
Merlin – pictured with a bleeding mouth – needed to have surgery to remove the stick, which was 10cm long
Merlin is now back to his old self after his uncomfortable ordeal, with his owner posting about it to raise awareness
She explained that they drove 30 minutes to Reading – during which time Merlin threw up pure blood two more times.
The vets immediately put him under general anaesthetic and discovered a piece of the stick wedged against his windpipe.
She said: ‘He was struggling to breathe and was sent straight to Southern Counties Veterinary Specialists in Ringwood as they were concerned he wouldn’t make it through the night.
‘After driving over an hour to get there – the longest scariest drive ever…after all there is no pet ambulance, we reached the specialist in Ringwood.
‘Whilst she observed Merlin, he dribbled blood from his mouth the entire time. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and remained there for the best part of two days.’
Jodie Young with partner Steve. Jodie was horrified when her beloved dog was left bleeding from the incident
Jodie Young with Merlin. Their playtime soon took a twist after the stick became lodged in Merlin’s mouth
Jodie wrote that she was told that the stick would either be removed manually back through the mouth, via key hole surgery in the neck if the stick was small enough or – worst case scenario – a slit down the front of the throat for a bigger obstruction.
Why you shouldn’t throw sticks…
Whilst throwing sticks for your dog can appear like a great form of play, the dangers are all too well known by veterinary surgeons.
Dog injuries from sticks can range from cuts and scrapes in a dog’s mouth to infections from stick-splinters and life-threatening injuries.
Sticks can get impaled into a dog’s throat, and whilst this may just cause minor wounds, some dogs will suffer life threatening injuries such as lacerations of the vital structures within the neck as well as multi-resistant bacterial infections.
Dogs with stick injuries can present acutely with blood tinged saliva, pain and reluctance to eat; or can be seen weeks/months following the initial injury with swelling and abscessation of the face and neck.
Source: British Veterinary Association
And she said Merlin was put under general anaesthetic, with vets eventually removing the stick via forceps, finding it to be 10cm long.
She wrote: ‘Miraculously the stick had not damaged the windpipe or oesophagus when it had got wedged in his throat.
‘They then had to flush away all the fragments and splinters that remained inside his throat.
‘He was kept another night to be strictly monitored, no food allowed but fluids via drip and very strong pain killers.’
She wrote that Merlin was now at home recovering, and would not be allowed out on walks for two weeks, but only in the garden on a lead.
He is also on two different lots of antibiotics and two different pain killers to take – with no solid food for two weeks.
She added: ‘He is lethargic, swollen and in pain because I threw a stick – a one second decision resulting in catastrophic events. We were lucky, it could have been so much worse.
‘Our vet bill totalled almost £7,000 – thank God for insurance.’
She concluded with a warning: ‘Please, please, use this story and listen to the voice saying “don’t throw sticks for dogs”, because I ignored it and nearly lost my favourite being as a result.
‘The guilt I feel is immense.’
The post received over 320 likes and dozens of comments from fellow pet owners left shocked by the nasty turn of events.
One wrote: ‘OMG. How utterly terrifying. I’m so glad he’s okay but what an awful traumatic experience for all of you.
‘Really hope he gets well soon, and try not to be too hard on yourself.’
Another added: ‘That shook me up and I don’t even have a dog. What a scary time for you all. Hope Merlin is back to himself very soon.’
