A Carlisle family was overjoyed when a vet saved their beloved dog after she swallowed a 15cm kebab skewer.
Luna, an eight-year-old yellow Labrador, underwent life saving surgery at Paragon Veterinary Group in Dalston where vet Graeme Hutchison pulled the intact stick from her stomach before it could cause serious damage.
Owner Jo Gray, of Morton, said: “If that kebab stick had got stuck in her throat or perforated her stomach it could have been very serious.
“She is a much-loved family pet who is never happier than when she’s going on an adventure with our kids – if it went wrong, I didn’t want to think what I would say to two six-year-olds.”
Luna has been a life-long playmate to twins Nathan and Evelyn.
Jo and her family were attending a friends’ barbecue when a child dropped a plate of food including a lamb and mint kebab.
“The dogs dove in and I was 99 per cent sure Luna swallowed the kebab,” said Jo, who works as a private contractor to the NHS in endoscopy.
She called Paragon who advised her to feed Luna lots of bread and pasta to protect her stomach and monitor her overnight.
“I spent the night on the sofa with her in case she was sick and at risk of perforating herself and the next morning she was very quiet and started looking exhausted,” said Jo.
Luna was rushed to Paragon’s Dalston surgery where Graeme operated.
“He found the kebab stick in her stomach and pulled out the whole thing intact. It had not perforated,” said Jo.
“With it being a wooden skewer, you can’t see it on an X-ray. I would rather act sooner and take the risk of unnecessary surgery than wait and risk her bleeding internally.”
Luna has since made a full recovery.
Graeme said: “We are all delighted for Jo there was a happy ending and Luna has made a full recovery. She is a lovely dog and made a great patient.”
Jo and her husband Matt, a medical laboratory technician, have had Luna since she was a pup and she is the family’s only pet.
“The children love playing with her in the woods and they make little houses for her out of branches,” said Jo. “A few weeks after the operation they were all playing in the fields again. She is completely part of the family.
“My message to pet owners is kebab sticks are really dangerous. If you think your dog might have swallowed one call a vet right away. It’s better to stop using them.”
