Hampshire pet undergoes surgery after swallowing kebab skewer

Three-year-old Spaniel Lily underwent surgery at St Peter’s Vets, which is part of the VetPartners group of veterinary practices, after her shocked owner saw the wooden stick protruding from her pet’s side.

It has prompted a warning from vets at the practice for owners to stay vigilant and avoid pets picking up discarded food on walks.

After noticing the stick, Lily’s owner, Laura Vaughan, rushed her pet from their home in Waterlooville to the veterinary practice in St Peter’s Road, Petersfield, where she was seen straight away by the veterinary team.

Vet and clinical director Ruth Brownlee said that as well as puncturing Lily’s side, the 15cm pointed skewer had perforated the dog’s stomach and grazed her liver.

Ruth said: “Lily needed surgery to remove the kebab stick, and I made an incision along the midline of her stomach, then carefully brought the stick out through the opening. I repaired the damage it had caused to her liver and stomach lining and she also needed a small stitch in her side where the point of the stick had poked through.

“The stomach wall is quite tough and it takes a lot to perforate it and, while we have seen pets before that have eaten kebab skewers, this is the first time we’ve had a case where the stick started coming through the dog’s side.

“These sticks attract dogs because they smell like meat or may have a small amount of meat remaining on them and they can cause nasty injuries if swallowed. I would encourage owners to do their best to keep their dogs away from discarded food items and to be extra vigilant near bins or in areas where people might eat packed lunches or picnics.

“Luckily, Lily got off quite lightly as her injuries could have been much worse and the stomach damage could have resulted in life-threatening peritonitis. It was surprising how lively she was when she came into the practice, and she ran in wagging her tail and wanting to say hello to everyone. She was so bright and happy it was hard to believe that she had a kebab stick protruding from her side.”

Lily is now back home in Waterlooville with owner Laura, who says she has no idea when or where her dog found and ate the stick.

Laura said: “It was a complete shock when I saw the end of the kebab stick poking out of Lily’s side, and I can’t recall her picking up and eating anything like that when we’ve been out on a walk. The day it emerged, I noticed her licking her side in the morning and by lunchtime there was the tip of a wooden stick poking out. She hadn’t even been showing signs of being unwell and while in hindsight she might have been a little quieter than usual, she was eating and drinking as normal and still enjoying playing and going for walks around Newlands and Berewood.

“The team at St Peter’s were amazing and I can’t thank them enough. They looked after Lily so well and they were also really caring to me, because it was an unexpected and traumatic experience.

“It’s really worrying that people don’t dispose of items like these appropriately and I’d urge anyone eating food outside to put their rubbish in a bin or take it home with them. Dogs can become seriously ill or even die if they eat harmful items like these sticks and I wouldn’t want another pet or owner to go through what Lily and I did.”

St Peter’s Vets has practices in Petersfield, Liss, Horndean and Farlington and puts the care of pets, care of people and care of each other above all else. It is part of VetPartners, which owns some of the UK’s most respected and trust veterinary practices and associated animal healthcare businesses.