A Border Collie was left fighting for his life after swallowing a wooden kebab stick which pierced his stomach and lung.
Sweep, two, had been put on a diet when he scoffed down the six-inch skewer while ‘scavenging’ for food near his home in Harlow, Essex.
But the sharp stick caused ‘life threatening’ internal injuries – and even left the pooch temporarily blind after his brain was starved of oxygen.
It is not known what happened to whatever was on the kebab stick, but it took vets at Dick White Referrals in Cambridgeshire, six hours to save him.
Sweep, two, had been put on a diet when he scoffed down the six-inch skewer while ‘scavenging’ for food near his home
A CT scan taken at the vets, showing the location of the skewer, highlighted in green, in relation to his other organs
Another scan showing the six inch stick, in white, top right, which caused ‘life threatening’ internal injuries
Scans taken before life-saving surgery showed the wooden stick had gone straight through his stomach, while still whole.
It had also damaged one of his lungs, causing it to leak, and sent Sweep into extreme respiratory distress’.
During the emergency procedure, Sweep’s temperature had to be dropped using ice packs to protect his brain from the lack of air.
As Sweep recovered, staff realised he had gone blind, which was ’caused by the brain cortex being starved of oxygen’.
Sweep being cared for at the vets after his life saving operation to remove the six inch kebeb stick
Sweep, pictured back on his lead after his operation, went temporarily blind which vets said was ’caused by the brain cortex being starved of oxygen’
However, two days later, his sight returned and after five further days of care, Sweep began to eat normally.
He has since returned home to his family in Harlow and vets say he is expected to return to ‘full health’.
They said Sweep had been on a diet at the time and ‘may have been scavenging’.